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garenabelunokan · 1 year

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How do I prepare for your call? And how can you do the same?

As with all things in life, some degree of preparation is necessary. You would never go for a run without warming up and stretching first, or leave home without checking you have everything you need — and so it is with Tarot.

And as with plenty in life, there are as many ways to read Tarot (and prepare for the process) as there are readers, and what will resonate and work for me will not necessarily be of any use to another reader. However, it’s always exciting to be given a chance to peek backstage, so let me draw the veil back and show you around…

Natural Needs First: I find it really important to check in with my body as I draw closer to the start of my session. The body-mind connection is so important, and thinking of my body as divine and as conscious as my soul has helped me in all aspects of my life, not just spiritually.

My checklist for this is as follows:

🃏 Have I had some fresh air and some time to connect with Mother Nature? ✨ Have I moved my body in a way that warms me up and moves my blood around? 🃏 Do I need a nap if I’m going to be reading into the early hours? ✨ What do I need to eat or drink? I often kill two birds with one stone here and make sure that the herbal tea I choose has properties of opening the way for communication and enhancing divinatory skills — my favourite is peppermint.

Clearing the Space The (extremely correct) words “cleanliness is next to godliness” and “a tidy space means a tidy mind” echo through my mind in my mother’s voice every day, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this. In general, I like to keep my living space as clean and tidy as I can, not just for hygiene and safety reasons — I find the flow of good energy in and bad energy out is much better when my home is tidier. We don’t want blockages!

For Tarot specifically, I like to:

✨ assign a special area for reading 🃏 make sure that that area is tidy and free from obstructions ✨ place some of my plants nearby 🃏 cleanse my home with incense ✨ hum or sing — a way of tidying the mind directly!

It’s much easier to hear the messages I’m getting through the cards when my surroundings aren’t interfering with transmission.

Taking Care of the Spirit Ensuring that my reading tools are in good working order is something I like to do before and after I receive your calls, as well as very regularly in my own magical life.

The light from full moons and supermoons are wonderful for cleansing and charging decks and crystals, as well as the smoke cleansing I mentioned above. However, there are countless ways to cleanse your tools: through sounds and vibrations, strong sunlight, a good and thorough shuffle – some readers even knock on their decks to throw all the accumulated energies out! I like to go one step further and charge every single thing I’ll be using to communicate with you. This includes but isn’t limited to:

🔮 my tarot deck 🌝 the cloth on which I place my spreads 🔮 my laptop and its charger 🌚 the telephone I use to receive calls 🔮 the specific area in which I’ll be reading for you 🌝 any crystals I wear or have nearby (usually moonstones)

I always check in with them after a session too, thanking them for the clear communication and messages I’ve received and for the opportunities to connect with querents.

What Should You do to Prepare? It’s mostly up to you, as you won’t be the one channelling in the same way and therefore will not be undergoing the same stresses. However, it’s important to make sure that you are in the best possible space in which to receive messages, especially if you’re asking questions you consider difficult or are having a longer session. The Natural Needs checklist will be incredibly useful for you as a way to start checking in with yourself, and gives a good foundation for spiritual experiences.

What Should I Ask? That depends entirely on you — what do you want to know the answer to? Sometimes we’re not quite sure of what we actually want to know, and therefore find ourselves frustrated with answers that feel opaque or confusing, not realising that we’ve been opaque or confusing in our approach! I’d like to clarify that this is not the same as asking for a general forecast, which I liken to casting a net out into the sea and seeing what comes back.

Here are some provocations that might clarify and enhance your future queries:

🌚 Do I want to know about this specific person in general, or do I want to know about them in relation to me? 🔮 Am I willing to receive the answer I get to my question, even if it’s not the one I want? 🌝 Am I willing to do the work of understanding the answer I get and applying it in my daily and/or spiritual life? 🔮 If I am interested in knowing something specific, will I be brave enough to trust my reader and ask a focused question? 🌚 Am I asking a question I already know the answer to but refuse to accept?

Of course, the nature of divination means that nothing is set in stone. We all act under free will — there are many times I’ve averted something I’ve seen coming in the cards, because the answer I got ending up being a call to action. On a practical level, having a pen and paper/notebook to hand might also be useful, so you can write down what your reader discovers and refer back to it later. If it’s been a particularly intense reading, things like moving, cleansing, or even napping are all ways of re-centring yourself.

Happy discoveries!

#killed pieces that deserved to see the sun!!!!#tarot #divination #this was a piece that got ignored by the psychic hotline I used to read for #your loss! :)

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scandinavianfairytale · 3 years

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His favourite

Ivar loved taking pictures and his favourites were printed out and taped to his bedroom wall. He cleared one whole wall to build a makeshift mural of the most precious things in his life. The time he went to Bhutan on a spiritual journey, hiking in Brazil, exploring the gulfs of India, castle hunting in Scotland, desert racing in Sahara...

When Freydis first came to his apartment and saw the mural wall she was in awe. Most people were. His pictures were truly breathtaking. It was like he knew how to capture perfect moments. The sun rays breaking over the cracked lens, creating a heaven-like picture of the Bhutan temple was her favourite.

Ivar returned from the kitchen, bringing two glasses of wine with him. Freydis took the offered wine and slowly walked through the pictures and picked his brain over the memories.

"What is your most precious photo or trip?" she suddenly turned to him. He was sitting on his bed, sipping wine, observing her. He leaned back on his hand and stared through the pictures hanging on his wall. His eyes stopped at one particular photo. His favourite.

"Hm..." He thought back on the Icelandic trip. It was the first trip he took with her. She found the cheapest tickets online and sent him the link. It made sense as it was in the middle of February - he tried explaining that to her. She asked him if he was scared. They reserved the tickets the next day and flew to Reykjavik the next week. The original plan was that they would rent a camper and sleep on the road to see as much as they can with such short days, but the temperatures were so low they spent the days just driving around, listening to old school rock and talking, parking in scenic spots and drinking steaming hot tea or cocoa. They had a mutual friend in Reykjavik so they stayed at his place, which saved them a bit more money. Which she blew on basic keychains and souvenirs. The last two days of their trip they stayed at the apartment laying on the pull-out sofa watching Netflix and playing Nintendo Switch.

"Easy, the trip to Iceland." Ivar smiled, reminiscing that week, his eyes never leaving the picture of them. She took the picture, with the front camera - the quality of the picture was by far the worst out of all on the mural wall. He always cringes when someone takes a selfie - why would you ruin a perfectly good photo? However that picture...he tolerated the bad quality.

"Is that her? The friend you hang out with so much?" Freydis asked as she followed his eyes and took a good look of the picture. The picture was taken by her, with her phone tilted up a bit. They were sitting on a bed, with their backs to the shut-in window and had their heads pushed together. They looked cozy...

"She's pretty..." Freydis observed out-loud.

"I guess." Ivar decided that was the safest response at this particular time. No one needed to know what he really thought, not even him.

"So why that trip?" she turned to him again, stepping closer to him, in between his opened legs. He looked up at her as she stood right in front of him.

"It was an adventure and we had a lot of fun. Plus we finally visited our friend there. All the other trips were special because they were just for me, to explore the world and do what I want. But that trip...I guess it was so special because I got to spend it with my closest friends." He smiled up at his girlfriend. She put her hands on his cheeks, softly framing his face, before bending down and pecking him.

"I love this mural...we should probably make some memories together too, so I can find my place in the precious place too." Freydis smiled.

"Yeah." He returned her smile and his eyes focused on the picture again.

I noticed that whenever I think of stories on unrequited love my mind immediately goes to Ivar...I think I inadvertently decided to make a series?

Thank you for reading!

The GIF is not mine - belongs to the amazing creator 🙏😊

#ivar #ivar the boneless #ivar ragnarsson #ivar imagine #ivar x reader #modern ivar #vikings #modern vikings #vikings imagine #alex hogh andersen #fanfic #short story #his favorite

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intheshadowofwar · 3 years

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K.B.O. - 28 June

So here we are on our first day of co-curated learning, which is a thing I only found out existed this morning.

We’ve been over the new plan; all things going well, we’re still going to be able to get out in the field, even if it is just in the Canberra region. Cowra was mentioned but I think some of us may be a bit skittish about going out of the ACT (although if they locked down Cowra I’d be very surprised indeed.) Can’t promise anything, but I’ll lobby as hard as I can, and if things look better next week, the chance may exist of getting somewhere in regional NSW.

We proceeded on to a lecture on Everybody’s Favourite Boondoggle, the John Monash Centre at Villers-Bretonneux (or VB for short.) VB is the site of a battle (technically two battles) fought at the ‘gates of Amiens’ in 1918. The initial German assault in early April was halted by a mix of British and Australian troops, but it’s the counterattack from April 24 to 27 that people mostly remember. Two Australian and one British brigade, alongside Moroccan forces under French command and supported by tanks, pushed two German divisions from the town and stabilised the front around Amiens; one of a number of battles that marked the end of Operation Michael, the first of Ludendorff's Spring Offensives.

It was also the site of the first tank-on-tank engagement in history, so naturally there’s a metal song about it.

Flash forward to 2010 and the beginning of planning for the centenary of the First World War. Some countries were more invested in this than others - Germany spent six million dollars on the whole affair, about $2 per dead soldier. France spent about $50 per fatality, Canada about three to four hundred… and Australia spent $8889. Using enough money to buy Simpson and his donkey a business-class ticket to London, they built a big, triumphant museum under the Villers-Bretonneux memorial - literally under the graves buried there - at a cost of $100m, proclaimed Australian victory in WWI, and named it after our favourite general, John Monash.

There’s a few small problems with this. One; John Monash wasn’t at Villers-Bretonneux. General Sir Henry Rawlingson was in overall command, with the key Australian commanders being Major-General Hobbs and Brigadiers ‘Pompey’ Elliot and Glasgow. But I guess ‘The Talbot Hobbs Centre’ doesn’t quite capture the imagination.

The second problem is that, while the Second Battle of Villers-Bretonneux was important, it did not win the war. German offensives continued into June, and only ended with defeat by the French (with some Americans) at the Second Battle of the Marne. The Germans were attacking on a wide front, and the majority of the men stopping them - at great cost - were British and French. The Australians aren’t the only ones to claim their one battle stopped the Germans - I’m looking at you, US Marine Corps - but we’re probably the only ones to build a gigantic obnoxious museum about it.

The third and most notable problem is that someone decided that building a giant ‘huzzah for the Anzacs, the Manliest of Men’ with a big light-and-sound show, simulated gas and artillery attacks, faceless ‘Huns’ and immersing patrons in the killing of said ‘Huns’ under a war cemetery was somehow in good taste.

I could rant long and hard about this thing and I haven’t even seen it in the flesh. Perhaps that means I’m being unfair. But there are dead Australians and Britons in that cemetery who I feel have been treated unfairly by the cemetery. (And don’t get me started on the omission of the Moroccans, or we’ll be here all day.)

After that, we did comparative presentations on how other countries marked their centenaries; usually with somewhat more taste (Britain), a touch of awkwardness (Germany) or an exclamation of ‘oh yeah, we were in that war, weren’t we?’ (the USA.) We watched an interview with Jay Winter (an American memorial historian and Bruce’s spiritual liege) and Michael Roper (a British historian, although it is unknown if he is anybody’s spiritual liege.) There was a break in the middle of this - I went to buy lunch and bought three books, and no lunch.

I also got gifted Niall Ferguson’s The Pity of War; the jury’s still out on if I was just being used to offload a Niall Ferguson book onto but the gesture was certainly appreciated. (For those curious, the other books were The Beauty and the Sorrow by Peter Englund, A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War by Amanda Foreman and Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden. Hopefully I do not get them confused and end up picturing British redcoats charging machine guns in Vietnam.)

At the end of the day, we watched Peter Weir’s Gallipoli. I have opinions about this film. For the uninitiated, the movie (made in 1981 and starring a young, pre-racist Mel Gibson) follows two Western Australian blokes (in a suspiciously South Australian-looking WA, I might add) as they enlist in the 10th Light Horse, train in Egypt and eventually fight in the Gallipoli peninsula, notably in the disastrous Battle of the Nek.

On one hand, Weir is one of the best cinematographers in the world today - one just needs to look at my favourite historical movie, Master and Commander, to get an idea of just how good he is. This is an exquisitely directed film. Despite my knowledge of 1900s railway rolling stock exposing the fact that they filmed in South Australia and not Western Australia, everything looks as authentic as is possible for it to be. Gallipoli looks dead on. The last five minutes of the film might be the most powerful and devastating ever seen in a war film. I should love this film, and yet…

The characters are more caricatures, which I think is intentional but it’s also hard for me to care too much about them. There are a few standouts, like the main character’s uncle and the Light Horse major, but then there’s the three infantry guys who I honestly could not tell apart. There is a sequence of the main characters wandering around the desert which adds nothing to the film except to pad the run time - I do not feel I liked the characters more after this ordeal, in fact I think I liked them less. The sequence in which the Australians take leave in Cairo has aged like fine cheese, with the Egyptian people pretty much reduced to an orientalist stereotype (such as a ‘comic’ moment where the Australians wreck an Egyptian vendor’s shop for scamming them, only to find out at the end of the scene that they’d been in the wrong place.) The strategic context for the Battles of Lone Pine and the Nek is mostly off (it was a diversionary attack, but for the New Zealanders, not the British), and the line about the British standing around drinking tea at Suvla Bay is not only inaccurate, it’s downright insulting.

For context on that last one, there’s a quote attributed to Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett about the attack on Scimitar Hill at Suvla, where the British 11th and the long-suffering 29th Division lost 5,300 men. He describes the undergrowth around the wounded set alight by artillery; “When the fire passed on little mounds of scorched khaki alone marked the spot where another mismanaged soldier of the king had returned to Mother Earth.”

Hardly a tea party.

And yet, that last scene - and particularly the image of the bayonets rising out of the trench, the ground before them thick with the dead and wounded of the 8th Light Horse that went before them…

So yes, I have complicated feelings.

Tomorrow we’re out again on the memorial landscape of Canberra - of particular, the Jerrabomberra Wetlands. Which aren’t actually in the suburb of Jerrabomberra. It’s very strange.

#war #cw covid #cw racism #first world war #gallipoli #villers-bretonneux #german spring offensive #british army #australian army #morocco #german army #french army #first world war centenary #sir john monash #gallipoli 1981 #mel gibson #battle of the nek #landing at suvla bay

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intruality-overlord · 4 years

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Why Are We (Best) Friends?

Warnings: excessive swearing, alcoholism, mentions of drugs, drug use, suggestive humor, implied sexual content (no smut), some gore descriptions. Generally, Remus stuff.

Taglist: @blogging-time @veraisnotfine @littlestr @jessibbb @broken-pens @hi-its-tutty @idkanameatall @moxiety--sanders101 @theyluna-womoon

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the taglist! Last update Wednesday/Thursday. Second to last chapter! Damn nearly over already.

Chapter Seven: Fuck Me

The Present.

Patton flug Remus’s door open so fast there was briefly a void where it bluntly cut through and the air was too slow to refill the space.

And he caught the doorknob quickly before it knocked a hole in the wall because he wasn’t actually going to trash his friend’s place. That would be a dick move.

Patton made a beeline for Remus’s bed. Pulling out the mini fridge tucked underneath, not yet pausing to properly acknowledge Remus.

“Patton?”

“Remus.”

“What happened?”

“What do you think.”

Patton tipped his head back and—

Remus snatched it from Patton’s hands and promptly poured the unholy liquid on his carpet. What? Do you really think he cares more about a stain on his stupid carpet than his best friends mental breakdown? Shame. Shame on you.

Patton mournfully watched it sink into the carpet. There was a look in his eyes Remus knew meant he was mentally debating. “If you lick that off the floor I will disown you,” he snapped him out of it.

…

Coming to settle beside Patton, he rested a hand on his shoulder. “Tell me what happened, Puppy,” Remus carefully told him. He applied a warm, gentle pressure with his palm to Patton’s shoulder, who subconsciously leaned into the touch, knowing it helped ground him. The poor touch starved soul. Patton was ravanis for touch.

“Don’t call me Puppy. I’m not in the mood,” Patton quipped.

“Stop avoiding the question.”

“I got rid of my fake friends, happy?”

“You— you w-what?” Remus stammered, his grip briefly wavering, yet Patton collapsed further into him. Remus quickly braced him with his other hand as well. The faintest of smiles grace Patton as his eyes fluttered closed for a second. “So what? I’ve got you.”

“But why even are we friends, Patton?” Remus said, desperately confused. “They’re not wrong, you’ve said so yourself. I’m a bad influence on you.”

“You say that as if I’m any better of an influence on you,” Patton chided, slurring slightly, but he suddenly felt incredibly, painfully sober. The hopeless hurt in Remus’s voice felt like an ice cube sliding down his back.

“Seriously, Patton!”

Patton bit his tongue to repress a comment about Remus being a very un-serious person, or a, “Logan, is that you?” Instead he tried deflecting with a half/mostly-truth.

“It doesn’t matter. It never has, we just are what we are and I’m happy with us, aren’t you?” He said earnestly.

“It does matter if you’re going to give up your life as a light side for me— ditching all your friends— for me! Me, of all people,” Remus said, feeling like he was talking to a brick wall. “W-wha— what—” his hysterics muddled his words, “What kind of nutter does that?!”

“A nutter who has thought it’s tea time for the past couple years I suppose…” Patton dropped his eyes to his knotted fingers, a dead chuckle on his lips. Patton tripped into thinking of what he’s really just done.

(Patton didn’t have nearly as strict of a moral code as he used to. It’s only natural: Morals are completely subjective and change all the time. Currently, his moral code had been stripped down to two rules. Very lenient rules at that. One, as long as you’re not hurting others, it’s okay. This rule used to include “or yourself” but that part of the rule had been overwritten by his second rule. Don’t be a hypocrite.

Rule number two, don’t be a hypocrite, was the most important rule and it took prominence over every decision he made. It’s the rule that ultimately dissolved every other rule he’d ever made for himself and Thomas. As he kept breaking his own rules, he’d have to cross them off the list.

An identity crisis would be a polite way to describe Patton’s mental state. The subjectivity of morality, combined with his ultimately inconsequential feelings, shattered his entire selfhood. (See, his vobaculary consisted of some fucking brobdingnagian words.) But he didn’t mope about it. If his feelings didn’t matter to anyone else, why should they matter to him either?

Patton would also say that “treat others how you would like to be treated” was a rule he lived by too, but what he really means is “treat others how they treat you” which is, fundamentally, very different. It was also the rule he ended up justifying his words with (not that they needed justification. That’s not something truth requires). Patton had hurt them. He knew he did, and he knew it was wrong. Yet, he couldn’t seem to summon the energy to bother with apologies. They had treated him like shit. They talked down to and stepped all over his emotions and opinions. He had every right to do the exact same as far as he was concerned.

He was supposed to be morality, after all. He decided what was good and bad or inbetween. If the others disagreed, too bad, he was right by default.)

This is all a long way of saying fuck you. Fuck them. I’m fucking done.

(Fuck was Patton’s favourite word, if you couldn’t tell. It just felt so, well, fucking good to say. Fucking liberating. Fuck was a word he could always rely on for proper fucking emphasis, and to fill fucking awkward silences. Patton would never be speechless again, even when he’s too drunk to conceptualise language, now that he has Fuck to fill that void. Totally didn’t have anything to do with the fact Fuck rhymes with duck, something so innocent. So far away from each other while simultaneously being separated by only one letter. Patton could relate to that on a spiritual level.)

Meanwhile, as Patton slipped into spiraling thoughts that would inevitably lead him to, “Would it be better to have a flashy but painful death, say, via explosion, or a boring but less painful death like gorging himself on sleeping pills?” And so on, Remus watched on with due drop round, doe eyes. Tears wedged his eyelids wide open, sclera reddening with the strain. He knew the look on his companions face and it was never good. Under the influence of too many drinks and Remus’s room wasn’t a good combination.

Maybe if the others hadn’t hindered Patton maturing naturally, Patton might not have completely rejected his inherent childness. (Who knows, that’s just Remus’s opinion.) Doesn’t matter now. It wasn’t exactly something you could grow back like fingernails to hang on your chalkboard.

Remus presented him with a glass of water.

Patton, regardless of his mental state, looked unimpressed.

“Did you just summon that?” He said, eyeing it suspiciously.

“Just drink it,” Remus said, exasperated.

“Everything you summon tastes awful! And it’s water that’s all I’ll be able to taste,” Patton cringed, leaning back with folded arms.

Remus scoffed. “As if anything you summon is any better.”

“Excuse me, but I’d rather bitter honey over pickle juice so salty it makes your tongue feel dry,” he argued.

Glass insistently was pressed against his lips. Remus’s eyelids dropped into a deadpan stare, which Patton tried to glare into submission. Remus didn’t relent. Slowly, Patton’s resolve weakened and slipped from him in a sigh that parted his lips. Glass was simultaneously shoved past his teeth. Patiently, Remus tipped the glass, assisting the pickle-water to flow, until Patton’s timid hands had a good hold. Their touch lingered before Remus relented.

Despite the taste, the drink (let’s face it, it’s hardly water) settled the crashing waves inside his bones, sobering him somewhat.

…

“Just because they’ve known me longer doesn’t mean they know me better,” Patton eventually said.

“You're not the one sheltering me supposedly for my own good. You’re not the one making decisions for me, talking down to me, making me feel dumb. You’re not the one making me pick sides, putting pressure on me. You’re the one who lets me be myself. You're the one who I can spill my guts out to. I don’t have to worry about judgment, with you. You’re my real friend.

And if they won’t let me be around you, then so be it. They’re not my friends anymore.”

“I’m— I-I’m not worth it, Patton.”

“Yes! You are! Remus, you’re worth everything!”

A rabbit heart hopped in the silence.

“…I love you…” Patton whispered. His eyes widened. He was realising for the first time. “Love love.”

“You… you what?” Remus was in shock.

“I wouldn’t spend every speck of my free time with someone I didn’t love. I wouldn’t do favours for someone I didn’t love. It took me a while but I— shit— god-fucking-damnit I fucking love you,” Patton whimpered. The realisation smacked him over the head like a mace. Him and his foolish heart knew perfectly well that Remus wasn’t interested in dating whatsoever. Why must he fall for the one person who can’t return his feelings?

“I’m so fucking sorry,” dispair warped Patton’s words, squeaking past his narrowing throat, into a beg. A beg for it to not be true? A beg for forgiveness? A beg to please not hate him?

“It doesn’t have to have a label. We’ll… figure it out as we go.”

Huh?

Nervously, Remus reached out a hand to Patton’s cheek. His touch was feather light.

Lightly pressing their skin flush so his emanating warmth seeped into him, Patton held Remus’s hand to his cheek. He briefly imagined his hands slipping up into his hair and locking them in a secure grip so Remus could have his way with him in a way that made sense. Not in this gentle, and caring, and unimaginable way. Either way, Patton was more than willing— eager— to give himself. Whichever way he wanted, Patton would pour his love into him.

Patton and Remus had always shown each other their love (platonic or otherwise) in a language they could understand, and Remus wasn’t going to stop now.

“Maybe we don’t love each other in the same way, but we still love each other, right? That’s what matters.”

Then Patton chanced a glance at Remus’s eyes. A glance turned into a mesmerized stare when Remus’s hazel framed, paradoxically glimmering blackhole pupils pulled his gaze in.

Patton had never seen anything like it, but he didn’t need to to know exactly what it meant. It was unmistakable. A glimpse into the innermost depth of his being where only the most precious tenderness could reside. It didn’t leak into his body language, facial expressions, or even corrupt his words with stutters. It pooled solely in his pupils that had been pumped full of the ebbing love. What breed of love it was didn’t matter, Patton would cherish it.

Patton saw past the event horizon.

That’s when he realised he'd never seen anything like it within any of the others. Never was there any substance to their charade. He should have known, the fool he was.

Before Patton could react (which in reality was quite slow, but Patton’s mind was working at the pace of dragging your feet through mud), Remus scooped him up in his arms.

“I can still walk.”

“I know.”

Patton felt like he was pushing his luck, but he still had to ask, “Stay?”

“Of course.”

Next Chapter:

#WAW(B)F?#sander sides #thomas sanders #ts sander sides #sanders sides #ts sanders sides #patton sanders #ts patton #remus sanders #ts remus #intruality #moduke #thomas sanders sides

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kategrainger · 4 years

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Suggested Solutions for Those Who Struggle with Self-Love

Happiness can be a fleeting thing, especially if you’re tired or over stressed. Today in this busy world it is ever more important to take the time for self care.

Neglecting and ignoring your needs is not noble. It’s not a badge that you should wear proudly. Putting everything and everyone else above your physical, mental, emotional or spiritual health is a sign of martyrdom, low self-esteem, and workaholism. It is not selflessness or a good work ethic.

We need to teach ourselves how to care for our needs. Why? Because no one else is going to do it for us!

Self-care means taking steps to look after yourself and your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.

Self-care starts with the acknowledgment that you are responsible for your wellbeing.

Self-care is an integral part of self-love which is the practice of being kind and compassionate towards yourself.

Here are signs to identify warning signs that you are neglecting self-care:

• Constant tiredness and fatigue • Irritability (little things annoy you) • Poor sleep quality • Muscle tension • Chronic illnesses (e.g. colds, flu, infections) • Anxiety and worry • Paranoia • Neglecting family or friend time • Obsessive rumination (mind won’t shut off) • Constant low-grade depression • More dread than excitement • Disconnection from your body • No time to do what makes you happy • All work and no play • Feelings of emptiness • Negative and self-sabotaging thoughts • Low self-worth and insecurity

There can be many other signs, but determining if you experience any of the above is a good place to start.

Why are we resistant to self-care?

You’ve probably heard it before. “I’m too busy to do that,” “I have too much on my plate right now,” “I’m inundated with work.” I’ve been guilty of using these banal excuses more than once, let me assure you!

Self-care, to many people, is also unfortunately associated with selfishness. There is an old and outdated perception that taking care of your needs first equals being self-centred. How are we able to take care of others if we cannot take care of ourselves?

Poor self-esteem is another reason why some people are resistant to self-care. The belief that “I’m not worth it” is so pervasive in our society that it’s an epidemic. Inevitably, poor self-worth results in self-neglect, sometimes even as a form of self-punishment. So I encourage you to practise the self-care ideas below. The more you incorporate them into your life, the better you will feel about who you are - at a core level.

Self-care suggestions for those struggling with self-love

If you struggle with stress, feelings of being overwhelmed, a mind that just won’t turn off, grapple with low motivation, negative mindsets, self-defeating habits, tend to be cynical, neurotic or highly-strung … this list is for you.

The best advice I can give you is to take it one step at a time. Don’t rush. The advice presented below is the work of a lifetime – not the work of a week. So be realistic and do the best you can.

Self-Care Ideas for the Body

1. Sit somewhere in nature. Feel relaxed by the scenery, the fresh air, and the birds singing.

2. Have a soothing bath. Put some essential oil in the bath to unwind and let go.

3. Take a deep mindful breath. Oxygenate your body, reduce the tension, and refresh your energy.

4. Have a nap. Find a comfy place and drift off into dream time. Set a timer if you’re worried about sleeping too much.

5. Make yourself some delicious food. Eat a tasty salad. Cook some comfort food. Make something just for you.

6. Dance to your favourite song. Get in touch with your playful side and enjoy a good workout while you’re at it!

7. Drink some herbal tea. Make yourself a soothing brew with whatever tea you have lying around. If you like experimenting, try holy basil, damiana, chamomile, and lavender.

8. Give yourself a massage. There are many self-massage techniques which you can easily find online that require nothing but your hands. For a deep tissue massage, you can use an old tennis ball and roll out the kinks in your muscles.

9. Eat your leafy greens every day. Nourish your body with the vitamins and minerals found in leafy greens like spinach, broccoli, and kale. If you don’t like the taste, add them to your smoothie or soup.

10. Take a walk in the sun. Get some vitamin D. Clear your mind. You’ll be exercising while you’re at it.

11. Create a physical space that nurtures your wellbeing. Get rid of the clutter, dirt, and dust around you. Create order in your environment as this will create more order in your mind.

Self-Care Ideas for the Heart

12. Give yourself a big hug. Stand somewhere quiet and hug yourself. Feel held and comforted.

13. Have a good laugh. Watch or read something entertaining even if that means a silly video of baby goats in pyjamas on YouTube.

14. Have a good cry. Let out all your feelings. Watch a sad movie. Have a tissue box and a blanket to snuggle in handy.

15. Show gratitude. Find something to be thankful for in your life.

16. Look at yourself through the eyes of a loving parent. Be the best mother or father to yourself that you could possibly be. Treat your inner child with love, gentleness, and respect.

17. Say kind words to yourself. When you’re angry, sad or scared, gently tell yourself, “It’s OK,” “I understand,” “I forgive you,” “You can do this,” “I believe in you.”

18. Learn how to self-soothe. Feeling anxious or upset is normal. Find little rituals or practices that make you feel calm such as drinking a cup of cocoa, heating up a hot pack, listening to music, colouring-in, or cuddling a soft toy.

19. Go on a date with yourself. Go somewhere special and spend a day with yourself. Spend time thinking about the qualities you most love and appreciate in yourself.

20. Check in with your heart. Regularly explore how you’re feeling on an emotional level. Does something feel uncomfortable or wrong? What emotions are currently dominating your inner landscape? By gently acknowledging these emotions you’ll be able to practice self-care.

21. Spend time around people that support you. Find people who believe in and uplift you. Keep away from those who seek to drag you down and infect your life with negativity.

Self-Care Ideas for the Mind

22. Feed and expand your mind. Learn something new. Read up on different topics and open your mind to new perspectives. Enrich your understanding of the world.

23. Journal and self-reflect. Record your journey with self-care and write down your key discoveries. Reflect on your progress and feel proud.

24. Still your mind. Find a way to calm your mind each day. Meditation or mindfulness are two excellent practices. Pay attention to the present moment and get out of your thoughts.

25. Take a break from social media. Clear the stream of your mind for a few days. Give yourself a break from the comparison, egotism, and drama that stems from social media. Delete social media apps from your phone and spend time doing something else.

26. Create a routine for your day. The mind thrives with structure. Create clarity and order by setting in place clear habits and routines. Just ensure that you are flexible and allow these structures to shift and evolve through time as need be.

27. Create an achievements folder. Whether on your computer or in a physical folder, set aside a place where you can record all of your proudest moments. What obstacles have you overcome? What projects have you completed? What struggles have you managed to learn from? Record all of your successes to reflect on when you’re in a funk or feeling like a failure.

28. Simplify your to-do list. Ask yourself, “What is actually necessary?” Identify the things on your mental (or physical) to do list that are wasting space. Not everything is vital or important to do. Minimising what you have to get done can reduce a tremendous amount of stress. Use a technique such as the Eisenhower Matrix to assess what is vital vs. unimportant.

29. Put your phone on airplane mode. Airplane mode stops all calls, texts, and annoying distractions from interfering with your life. Free yourself temporarily each day from the mental slavery of perpetually checking your phone. For example, after 6 pm take a ‘mini holiday’ from your phone until the next morning.

30. Set yourself small, manageable goals. Set yourself one or two major things you want to accomplish each day that will bring you a sense of success or fulfilment. This could be as simple as cooking a nice meal to as big as writing a chapter in your book. Simply feeling like you’ve achieved one of your goals is a wonderful feeling that you can experience daily!

31. Do something outside of your comfort zone. Even if that means going a new route to work or walking your dog along a new street! Enjoy the sense of self-confidence and empowerment that comes from knowing you can do something a bit uncomfortable and different.

32. Set clear boundaries. Stand up for yourself and say “no” even if your voice shakes. Set clear limits on your time and energy. Safeguarding your energy is a form of self-care and self-respect. Give energy only to that which you consciously agree to invite into your life.

Self-Care Ideas for the Soul

33. Light a candle and watch the shifting light. Indulge in some relaxation with a scented candle. Watch the flickering of the light against the wall and connect with your inner self.

34. Ask for help and guidance.If you’re feeling confused, lost, sad, stressed or depressed, reach out to someone. Asking for help is a sign of courage and intelligence. Find a trusted friend, advisor or professional to help you out.

35. Connect with your soul’s guidance. There are countless ways to interact with your soul essence. Prayer, meditation, visualisation, oracle reading, and dream work are all fairly simple ways to get back in touch with your core.

36. Be receptive to beauty. Beauty opens and expands the soul. Beauty can intoxicate and fill you with awe. Find at least one beautiful thing every day to enchant you. Nature is an easy and nourishing place to find all things beautiful and wild.

37. Connect with another person. Find someone to have a heart-to-heart conversation with, even if that person is online. Express your deepest thoughts and feelings and reciprocate that with another who is on the same wavelength as you. Human connection, when it is authentic and raw, is uplifting to the soul.

38. Be your own best friend and soulmate. Treat yourself as you wish to be treated. Enjoy spending time with yourself and fall in love with who you are. Celebrate your messy humanity and divinity and the strange paradox of who you are.

39. Creatively express your deepest feelings. Write, draw, sculpt, scrapbook, paint, sing or dance your rawest feelings. Creatively express yourself in whatever way feels most appealing and natural. You don’t have to be an artist to do this! Self-expression and creativity are universal balms for the soul and have tremendous healing energy.

How to Use the Suggestions Above

Some final thoughts on the self-care suggestions I’ve just shared: pay attention to any that jump out at you. When reading through this list, which ideas tug at your attention? Focus on those first. Remember, there’s no need to rush! That would be contrary to the point of this article. So go at your own pace. Do as much or as little as feels comfortable to you. Most importantly, be consistent. Self-care is a habit and with a little stubbornness, it can become a wonderful way of life.

© Kate Grainger 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Casey Carlisle with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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the-hidden-writer · 4 years

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A Second Chance: Chapter 4

An Ace Attorney fanfic. Read on both AO3 and FF.net!

Summary: Miles learns the identity of his “dead” mother, and the aftermath of that revelation is a tricky one. Especially when his newfound little sister is trying to turn him into a spirit medium.

AKA Miles is a Fey. Miles also doesn’t really know how to family properly.

[Chapter 1] | [Chapter 2] | [Chapter 3]

Comments make my day! :D

The Great Beverage Debate

It had been one hell of a day. Early in the morning, Maya had made a bet with Phoenix to see if he’d get a new case by noon since he was an “unstoppable famous lawyer hero” now. Or something like that. Point is, they didn’t get any new cases, and Maya won the bet.

At first, Maya had begged to be fed fancy meals for a week. Phoenix had ended up refusing that one (his funds were slowly dying…) and agreed to clean the office’s floor instead.

He didn’t mind too much. It was oddly therapeutic.

So when Edgeworth appeared at his door, wearing something other than his prosecutor’s suit for once, he’d been immediately taken off guard. Since his face was already flushed from scrubbing so hard, he’d hoped that he wouldn’t notice him blushing. He thinks he got away with that one.

He never saw the reveal coming. Again, he felt like an idiot for not even suspecting it a bit, but he should've taken the news a bit better. Thinking back, he might've sacred Edgeworth off with the way he reacted.

That luckily didn't happen though, and that's how he'd ended up sitting opposite the man at a small table in a café known as "Sugar & Spice".

Since Edgeworth had offered to get the drinks, and judging by the way he had begun to sip it almost desperately, Phoenix had a suspicion that he'd ordered tea after all.

They'd walked from Wright & Co. Law Offices, barely talking to one another as he led the way. Phoenix had noticed that Edgeworth looked slightly confused when they passed more local coffee shops, which would have saved half the walking time, but he had his reasons for going the extra distance.

"Mia used to come here a lot." He said, snapping Edgeworth out of his window-gazing trance.

"She'd bring me along often enough but I'd see her in here almost every day." He continued wistfully. He missed her.

Edgeworth took another (more gentle) sip of his cup. "It would make sense." He muttered. "She used to work at Grossberg's, correct? It's probably a habit from then."

Ah, trust Edgeworth to always think one step ahead of him.

Now Phoenix was a bit stuck. When he'd offered to get coffee what felt like ages ago, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. To get to know each other better? To spend some time together? Maybe he was just being polite. It was just… seeing him appear out of nowhere like that…

"You look good." He blurted out suddenly. Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.

"N-No, I mean," he gestured in the prosecutor's general direction, "It's nice to see you wearing something other than a suit for a change. You look great like that."

And he did. His white shirt surprisingly didn't clash against his pale skin, and his pants complimented it perfectly. And he still managed to look so professional. Honestly, he never understood work casual before now.

"Believe it or not, Wright, but I am a human being as well as a lawyer." Edgeworth said in a dry tone that betrayed how tired he actually was.

"Really?" Phoenix replied sarcastically. "I never would've guessed."

Despite his attempt to lighten the mood, Edgeworth didn't smile. In fact, his frown only deepened.

"You know Maya, don't you?"

The only problem with Miles always being ahead of him, is that Phoenix had no idea where their conversations would go.

"Um, yeah? You know her too, though."

Edgeworth shook his head. "No, I mean… you know her well. You're the living person that's closest to her." He paused, and sighed quietly. "What are her interests? Her favourite foods?"

Those were probably rhetorical questions, but Phoenix felt like it would be too awkward if he didn't answer anyway.

"Well she's way too obsessed with Steel Samurai and will eat literally anything that's edible. But she does pester me for burgers most of the time."

He could've sworn Edgeworth smiled, just for a second, but it disappeared so quickly that it was hard to tell.

"See?" He said, as if proving a point that was obvious to only him. "I should know these things! Being a brother comes with responsibilities, and I've neglected those for what, 19 years?" He groaned in frustration. "I wish this had never happened…"

Phoenix looked at him with determined but soft eyes. "You can't neglect something if you didn't know it existed." He stated firmly. "Don't bring yourself down over something you can't control."

The man just sipped his probably-tea.

“When did you find out?” He asked eventually, once Miles was reaching the end of his… British-beverage.

He just frowned, then let out a small sigh. “It was only yesterday evening, but it feels like a year ago. But no, it still hasn’t settled.”

“You told Gumshoe before me?” Phoenix teased, half-joking.

Edgeworth scoffed. “He’s the one who found out first, believe it or not. I’m…” He paused for a moment, not meeting his rival in the eyes. “I’m rather glad that it was him first.”

“Yeah, he’s good at that sort of thing. Breaking news, I mean.”

“If not for anything else.”

For the first time since leaving the office, both men laughed. Phoenix felt a stab of guilt for making fun of Gumshoe, but if Miles was even slightly happy then he was happy. He was still playing host after all, even if he wasn’t the one paying for the drinks.

"I'm sorry, I'm not the best person to talk to about sibling stuff." He admitted. “I think he has a sister? Gumshoe. You could always talk to him.”

There, he felt a bit better now. He could sleep peacefully.

“N-No, that’s alright.” Miles answered, though still sounding quite unsure. “He’s done enough already.”

“Hey, speaking of Gumshoe…” Phoenix had been meaning to bring this up since the moment it was mentioned, but knew that Edgeworth would be too prickly to answer. Hopefully the definitely-not-coffee had softened him up.

Miles waited for him to continue, but Phoenix noticed that he looked nervous. And he knew when Edgeworth was nervous, from all the time they spent as kids- not to mention in court.

“...he said something about a letter.” He finished, before hastily adding: “It sounded important.” when Miles almost broke his cup in surprise.

“I-It was nothing!” Miles spluttered.

“Yeah, sure.” Phoenix said. “And I guess this is the part where you forget that I have a magic stone that tells me when you’re hiding something?”

Sure enough, ever since Gumshoe’s… dramatic arrival back at the office, a large red psyche-lock had encased itself around Edgeworth. It wasn’t the first (when he’d used his magatama on others, he’d always notice the large number of locks surrounding his friend but never knew how to bring it up), however it was the first time he’d watch one form right before his eyes. Which meant it was purposely being hidden from him specifically, and not one of the many things that Edgeworth bottled inside of him.

He almost felt horrible after he saw the horror flash across Edgeworth’s face in that moment, and his posture suddenly became defensive.

...Again, he knew too well what that looked like.

“Damned spiritual nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense, and you know it.” Phoenix countered before draining the remains of his actual-coffee.

“I mean, you literally used it the other week, didn’t you?”

Edgeworth said nothing, which he took as a confirmation.

“It’s weird, right? Sometimes I wonder if Mia ever used it. I mean, she wore one around her neck, and mine had to be charged for me to be able to use it because I’m not a Fey or anything-”

“Hold on,” Miles interrupted, suddenly alert. “For you to be able to use it?”

Now Phoenix was confused. “Yeah? I think? Pearl taught me how to use it, but even then it kinda took some practise.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “Even now I still have to remind Maya that not everyone was born with spiritual powers, y’know?”

Edgeworth waited.

“Oh, you mean-”

“Just another reason I should have realised the obvious sooner.” Miles said, his tone dripping with exhaustion. “I was shocked when they appeared out of nowhere.” He scoffed. “Thought I was finally going mad.”

The excuse that Edgeworth had been working late came to Phoenix’s mind, and he felt a pang of guilt. The guy had gone through a lot, and had probably not slept, and now he was interrogating him.

“I’m sorry for asking.” He sighed, trying his best to sound genuine. Because he was.

“No, no, it’s okay.” Said Miles, before putting down his cup and sitting up straight.

“The letter was in the box that Detective Gumshoe found, along with those photographs. It was addressed to me, and-”

“To you?”

“Don’t interrupt, Wright. Judging by the tone of the letter and some of the specifics mentioned, it seems like it was written by Misty Fey quite soon after DL-6. It was a vaguely detailed account of her expressing her sympathies and telling me the truth about who she was, though by the way it was stored it appears she had no intention of ever sending it.”

That wasn’t what Phoenix had been expecting. Alright, so he didn’t know exactly what he was expecting, but it was not this.

“So…” He said, trying to stop his new grin from spreading, “...no forbidden love letters from your parents? Romeo And Juliet style?”

He regretted that comparison as soon as it came out of his mouth, since he had no doubt that Edgeworth would have read Shakespeare at some point. But fortunately any deeper meaning flew over his head for now, since his frown had gone. Miles still wasn’t smiling, but it was a start.

“Ever the optimist, aren’t you Wright?”

“When’s the last time you called me Phoenix?”

“I’m going to go home.” He said, avoiding the question completely. Or maybe just choosing to ignore it. Probably both.

“Oh, okay. Get some rest.” Was Phoenix’s slightly dejected reply.

“Thanks for the coffee-”

“Thank you for the co-”

They’d both spoken at the same time. Phoenix felt the heat rushing up the back of his neck as Edgeworth’s eyes widened and he stood up from his chair and turned to leave, obviously quite embarrassed too.

“HOLD IT!”

...and he turned again to face Phoenix, who had found a sudden determination.

He was going to expose this faker once and for all.

“You think you can fool me that easily, Miles?”

Miles looked dazed.

“Well, I know the truth. You just said ‘Thank you for the coffee’ which is polite, and I appreciate it, but you got the coffee for both of us. You’re a tea person! You’re freakin’ British! The way you sipped at it with the same look on your face, the way you carefully kept your hand on the cup until it was finished so I couldn’t see properly, the way you tried to disguise it with the amount of milk added… you ordered tea. It’s the only explanation. So TAKE THAT!”

Edgeworth was stunned, his face blank as he presumably processed the demise of his deception.

And then he smiled. Then the smile cracked open, and Edgeworth laughed.

It had been so long since Phoenix had heard him genuinely laugh. Sure, he’d had his fair share of smug/maniacal laughs in court, but this was a soft, dorky-yet-still-classy, laugh. One so rare that Phoenix wished he could record the sound.

And it was perfect.

Once the laughter died down, Miles exhaled. “Guilty. You should really think about becoming a prosecutor, Phoenix.” He said, still smiling, as he turned on his heel and walked away.

Phoenix felt warm inside as he leaned back in his chair and watched him go. He was so happy with his win, that he completely missed exactly what Edgeworth had said to him.

...It was only when he stood up to leave himself did he notice the remains sitting inconspicuously inside of Edgeworth’s cup.

A thick, dark sludge of coffee grounds.

“Motherf-”

#ace attorney #phoenix wright #miles edgeworth #wrightworth #narumitsu #maya fey #mia fey #a second chance

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dianaallvarez · 4 years

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Dark Academia Book Tag

Hello! this is the very first post for my book themed tumblr, (this is a side blog, my main is @dianaallvarez), and I wanted to wait until I had finished my current read to post, but I’m quite excited about building this space. And I chose this lovely tag created by CarolynMarieReads and * e m m i e * from YT to introduce myself.

Dark Academia Book Tag Questions:

1. What is you favorite "academia" or "dark" book + movie?

Book: Enigma Variations by André Aciman.

The books follows the life of Paul from his teenage to his adult years through the eyes of his love experiences. I think this is a very unusual pick because it is not a dark book, at least not dark academia dark. But it has the elements that I enjoy about da: the very witty, talented, scholar protagonist who struggles with himself; art, music, literature, glowing scenarios, YEARNING. I love Aciman’s writing above many things and the way he takes you deep into the character’s mind to the point of losing yourself.

Movie: The Dreamers (2003) directed by: Bernardo Bertolucci

A young American studying in Paris in 1968 strikes up a friendship with a French brother and sister. Set against the background of the ’68 Paris student riots. (Letterboxd).

I love love love this film with a passion. And this film loves films too, JESUS. Philosophy, poetry, the streets of Paris, desire, the way this three young people embrace their love for art and all things raw and beautiful mesmerizes me. The burning of the outside. I can’t put into words how much I adore watching it.

2. What dead poet would you like to have a drink with?

Percy Bysshe Shelley, he is one of my favourite poets of all time. Love’s Philosophy, Time, Good-Night, his poems make shiver. Also, if we were to have a drink, Mary would probably be there, so, double win.

3. What is your favorite painting and/or sculpture?

Monet’s Antibes, view from the Salis Gardens [1888] Monet is probably my favourite painter, I also love his nympheas, water lilies, peaches and Rio della Salute.

4. What is your favorite architectural marvel?

My hometown is pretty cool, architecturally. So, yeah. Morelia.

5. What Shakespeare play would you like to be the lead in?

Richard III, mainly because of Al Pacino’s docu-drama. He seems a very complex and miserable character, I would love to build a performance around him.

6. How many languages do you speak and which language would you most like to learn?

I can only speak Spanish and English.

My target language is Italian, I really like how musical it sounds, and the words are BEAUTIFUL, like, Insieme (juntos, together), mmmm love it. I’m also interested in learning French of course, (one of my goals in life is to watch french movies without subtitles), and Russian! The sound is gorgeous and I’ve read some russian poems (Tarkovsky ESP / ENG) in Spanish and I want to read them in Russian too.

7. What is your favorite quote (from poetry, prose, plays, etc.)?

Chuck Palahniuk’s “Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. It’s all giving you away. Everything you do shows your hand. Everything is a self-portrait. Everything is a diary”

8. What fictional character's death is your ideal way to go?

I don’t want to go, as in go death. But I want to go from home, so my ideal way to go would be... idk, soon?

9. What university/college would you most like to attend?

This is a sad one because it is practically impossible for me to go to the college of my dreams, ever; the major I want isn’t even avaliable in my town, nor in my whole state! Enough ranting tho. I’d love Edinburgh Uni or UCL.

10. I’m skipping this one, sorry.

11. What mythology would you most like to be a part of?

Norse mythology! The fact that there’s little information about it makes it so appealing to me. Also its connection with nature and humanity, the diversity of creatures, the main values, the symbology. I love Norse mythology for so many reasons, some of them spiritual, it means so much to me that sometimes I feel a part of it already.

12. If you had a PhD what would you choose to do it on?

English Lit., I’ve consumed it since I was 12 y/o, I feel in love with Literature through English Literature. But there’s no place for it on this school system:(, we are a whole different world. Still I hope I can study it someday <3

13. Which fictional character would you die for?

Robb Stark from the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I grew up reading him!, I felt such a strong bond with the character, it broke me to read his death. When he was fourteen, I was fourteen; when he was fifteen, I was fifteen... something in me left with him, and even though he’s a fictional character I carry him always, and I adore him to infinity.

Rapid-fire: Pick One!!

1. Leather bound or cloth bound books

I only own leather.

2. Dog-earing pages or highlighting pages

Both.

3. Sculptures or paintings

Paintings.

4. Piano or violin

Cello, Oboe and Guitar are superior.

5. Films or theatre

Films.

6. Poetry or prose

Prose.

7. Museums or bookshops

Bookshops.

8. The smell of books or the smell of coffee/tea

Books.

9. Fountain pen or typewriter

Fountain pen.

10. New or used books

New and used, as long as they’re complete.

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kashyyyyk · 4 years

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i was tagged my the lovely @theleavesoflorien to answer these questions, so here goes :))

1. Do you prefer writing with a black pen or a blue pen?

blue actually! but idk why

2. Would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

the country ideally, bc cities are just too noisy, too grey, too many people. but on the other hand, ppl in the country are boring af... so. guess i could live anywhere where i had some peace and quiet and nature on the one hand, and some interesting ppl on the other - one can dream ig, lol

3. If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?

any skill would be nice X’D but i guess writing, always. and not being a procrastinator. just being able to focus and actually finish/achieve smth. would be great (if that’s even a “skill”)

4. do you drink your tea/coffee with sugar?

coffee sometimes (aka when it’s bad coffee lol); tea never (tho i’d put in honey sometimes)

5. What was your favourite book as a child?

gosh i have no idea. i remember liking most books by Marc De Bel and Patrick Lagrou (both Flemish writers) and then as a teenager ig it had to be Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

6. Do you prefer baths or showers?

i like both, but maybe baths, which have that additional element of “i’ve got time to relax rn” which is always great

7. If you could be a mythical creature, which one would you be?

werewolf :’) or smth that lives in the ocean (not a mermaid tho, i’m not 12) like a giant turtle or smth, or some big cat (i don’t know my mythology wow), or a dragon :33333

8. Paper or electronic books?

paper! ♥ which goes against my eco principles but i just loooove books and can’t get myself to read on a screen

9. What is your favourite item of clothing?

my mom jeans :’)

10. Do you like your name? Would you like to change it?

i don’t like it at all D: if money wasn’t a factor, i probably would’ve changed it already, sorry @ my parents but yes

11. Who is a mentor to you?

George Harrison :’)

12. Would you like to be famous? If so, what for?

writing fantasy/scifi books or shows/movies pls and thanks ♥

13. Are you a restless sleeper?

i sleep like a log, which ig is why i wake up feeling like one XD

14. Do you consider yourself to be a romantic person?

lol. i used to... guess deep down i still am, even tho i’ve completely embraced ace/aro life for now. would never go for any of that sappy stuff tho, but some epic kind of soulmates love, i’m one of the idiots who believes in that shit :’)

15. Which element best represents you?

water ♥ and i guess air to a certain extent

16. Who do you want to be closer to?

lmao @theleavesoflorien, Henry Cavill, HARD SAME :’))) or Dhani Harrison for that matter :3 ~the 2 Main Platonic Baes~ but in all realness, i’d just wish i had any rl friends that i vibed with on a soul level /rip

17. Do you miss someone at the moment?

my brother i guess, always ♥

18. Tell us about an early childhood memory.

re-enacting The Lion King with my brother XD and generally just making up stories with him - @theleavesoflorien, we did the radio shows/quizzes too! brilliant XD

19. What is the strangest thing you have eaten?

fermented shark, in Iceland. i highkey would not recommend

20. What are you most thankful for?

still being alive i suppose :’) tho sometimes these days i wish i wasn’t. also, great music, books, tv shows, movies ♥ and whatever unspoiled nature we still have

21. Do you like spicy food?

sure! tho not like really spicy ig

22. Have you ever met someone famous?

i met Michael Palin in 2018 at a book signing ♥_♥ after a talk he did. and i said i’d liked the talk and he said thanks :’))))) also met Terry Gilliam last year and we talked for 2 secs ♥ and ig there were others but i can’t remember right now. oh yeah, talked to Finn Jones at a con one time :’)

23. Do you keep a diary or journal?

lol yeah like about 5 of them XD all for different aspects of my life i suppose. i have the worst memory in the world, so i need this to literally remember things

24. Do you prefer to use pen or pencil?

pen

25. What is your star sign?

cancer sun / leo moon / scorpio rising

26. Do you like your cereal crunchy or soggy?

oh my fuck who would like soggy cereal o_____O

27. What would you want your legacy to be?

idk, just generally being remembered at all would be nice. would be great to have contributed something noticeable, but having made people happy in some way at all would do ig

28. Do you like reading? What was the last book you read?

LMAO yes :’) i’m reading a few dozen atm, but the last one i finished was Sign of Chaos by Roger Zelazny, part of the Amber series i’ve read about 6 times now instead of reading new things

29. How do you show someone you love them?

no idea :’)) just be there for them ig. giving them some of my time must mean i love them bc i loooovvvveee my time :’)

30. Do you like ice in your drinks?

not really actually. if it needs to be cold i’d rather just have it chilled than have ice in it

31. What are you afraid of?

dying without really having lived :’) /harsh truths hour

32. What is your favourite scent?

peaches, basil, privet, monoï, ....

33. Do you address older people by their name or surname?

gosh, depends on the situation. i guess i’d say sir or madam (without the surname tho) and i mean older as in at least 20y older

34. If money was not a factor, how would you live your life?

not working for anyone else another day in my life. except if i found something i really want to get behind and put some effort in. hopefully write for pleasure tho, which would hopefully come easier since i wouldn’t be stressed at all times. i’d like to live near the ocean and the jungle, surrounded by a only few but likeminded people ♥

35. Do you prefer swimming in pools or the ocean?

love ♥ the ocean, tho i also scares me lol. would say a natural pool or a lake without too many weeds in it :’)

36. What would you do if you found $50 on the ground?

take it ofc

37. Have you ever seen a shooting star? Did you make a wish?

oh yes! i always make a wish :) and the same one each time too

38. What is one thing you would want to teach your children?

that they’re okay, that of course growth is important, but that they’re enough as they are, and only have to change if they want it, not for anyone else. i’d try to teach them empathy and respect for all beings and the earth we live on

39. If you had to have a tattoo, what would it be and where would you get it?

got three already, but i’m contemplating George Harrison’s squiggly sun drawing from his Here Comes the Sun manuscript, maybe on my ankle? still considering Tolkien’s dragon drawing too. an ॐ somewhere definitely, maybe combined with some lotus thing, idk yet..

40. What can you hear right now?

Pink Floyd - The Great Gig in the Sky (Live, from Pulse)

41. Where do you feel the safest?

in my flat. or in nature when there’s no one around. in fact i feel safe most places where there’s not too many people around

42. What is one thing you want to overcome/conquer?

my procrastination

43. If you could travel back to any era, what would it be?

ooof, difficult choice. maybe just super far back to hunter-gatherer times tbh XD like okay, not that intellectually or spiritually developed, but still in touch with the actual earth we live on as simply another species, before assuming we were anything “more” or w/e, before any money or power or religion came into play ♥

44. What is your most used emoji?

i’m on the computer now so, hmmmm but: ok hand, and the crying emoji, and the two hearts, and ofc the “this is fine” content smiling one XD sorry idk how to describe it

45. Describe yourself using one word.

idiot

46. What do you regret the most?

not having taken my life into my own hands in my 20s... but i honestly try not to regret much anymore. i guess my 20s couldn’t have gone much different all things considered, and i did learn from them

47. Last movie you saw?

Mortal Kombat X’D

48. Last tv show you watched?

Red Dwarf ♥♥♥

49. Invent a word and its meaning

this is too difficult :’)))))

as usual i’m lazy and tag anyone who feels like doing this! ~♥

#//tagged #//answered #//personal #theleavesoflorien

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eldritchsurveys · 4 years

Text

636.

Have you ever done a craft that you found on Pinterest? >> No, I don’t use Pinterest. Do you get scrapbooking layout ideas from anywhere? >> No, because I don’t scrapbook. What do you do to wipe off the dust from ordinary life? >> What? Are you content with mystery, or do you wish you knew everything? >> Mystery is one of the things that makes life interesting, for me. My curiosity and imagination needs mystery to chew on, to turn over and over in my mind. If it was just fed all the answers, it’d be bored and so would I. What do you do when someone irritates you on Facebook? >> No one irritates me on facebook. But if they did, I’d either unfollow or unfriend them.

Are you judgmental? >> I don’t encourage judgemental behaviour in myself.

Do you think your hair looks better natural or dyed? >> I think it looks healthier when natural, and that’s the most important thing. I can always wear wigs for funky colours.

Do your parents disrespect you? >> --- Have you found that love covers over a multitude of sins? >> No. It enables one to treat another’s shortcomings with grace and compassion, which is important. But if something is truly rotten, love’s not going to do shit for it. What was the last Grand Opening you went to? >> --- Do you have anything coming up tomorrow? >> All I want to do tomorrow is play video games and be comfortable in my bed. What’s one thing that makes your stomach hurt? >> Anxiety. Ever had a living nightmare? >> Er, maybe? Do you have a lot of haters? >> Not to my knowledge. I don’t think I register on most people’s radars to begin with.

Do you think successful people always come with a pack of haters? >> I mean, probably. Envy is a hell of a drug. Do you have supernatural abilities? >> Who knows what kind of abilities I have. Even I don’t know. Do you kick yourself when you make mistakes? Do you say, “I wish I would have” a lot? >> Yeah, although I’ve been trying to cut down on the self-flagellation. Are you doing the most you can with your life? >> Sure, by my standards. Do you let people walk on you? >> No. Are you ok? >> Sure. Do you have a friend you miss right now? >> No. Do you ever write snail mail to your friends? >> No. Do you make your life look better than it is on Facebook? >> I don’t post on facebook. Do you feel God’s presence regularly? >> No. For the record, I’m not attuned to that sort of presence, so I have no idea how I’d even look for it. Do you experience chronic pain? >> No. Do you believe God loves you and is rooting for you? Wtf is with all these Christian surveys lately. Are people not aware that the vast majority of the world is not Christian? <-- They’re probably from joybucket. Christian questions aside, she makes decent surveys and there’s always a shortage of those, so. Anyway, my comprehension of a capital-g God is a more panentheistic kind, so any anthropomorphic features it’d possess are because its nature is being expressed through humanity just as much as through everything else. Have you ever dreamt that you were falling? >> Probably, but more often I just have that weird falling sensation just as I’m dropping off to sleep. It hasn’t happened much lately, but it used to happen constantly. What would your dream career be? >> --- Are you a daydreamer? >> Not so much. Do you daydream so much that you wonder if there’s anyone who doesn’t? >> --- Do you ever just sit and daydream for awhile? >> No. I’m not really sure how daydreaming works. If I’m staring into space it’s because I’ve zoned out or because I’m ruminating on some conversation I had and dissecting my every misstep or something stupid like that. Is the snow falling where you are right now? >> Not where I currently am, no. But where I live, it probably is snowing. I’ll find out when I get off the plane tonight. What is your favorite part of nature? >> What isn’t my favourite part of nature. Do you wish you could be a world traveler? >> You know... not particularly. Not to say that I don’t love seeing new places, and not to say that I don’t want to go to other countries, because I do. But it’s just not so much a priority to me anymore. I’m just as happy watching Anthony Bourdain do it. (Also, sensory defensiveness and related problems has really begun to impede on my enjoyment of travel.) Do you wish you could live in another city for a year? >> I mean, sure. I just can’t imagine what situation would lead to that. What city would you like to visit? >> Oh, you know. Any one will do. What has been your favorite city that you’ve visited? >> New Orleans. If you had kids, would you take them to Disney World? >> I wouldn’t take kids to Disney World, I’d take myself. I’ve never gone and I’m curious about it. Have you ever stood in line to get a Disney character’s autograph? >> No. Do you own a birthday crown? >> No. How long does it usually take your hair to dry? Do you dry it naturally or blow-dry it? >> My hair is very short so it takes like 10 minutes. Do you straighten your hair? >> No. Do you sleep with a teddy bear? >> I sleep with two teddy bears and an assortment of other animals. Would you consider yourself a free spirit? >> I don’t really know what that means. Do you need to clean out your closet? >> --- Do you watch YouTube videos regularly? >> Sure. What’s your favorite coffee shop? >> --- Is your Pinterest page cluttered? >> --- Do you want to start a collection? >> No. Are you a role model? Would you consider yourself a good example? >> No. Are you a leader or a follower? >> I’m just... a person, man. My roles change depending on the situation. Who’s your favorite person? >> --- Who have been your favorite American Idol contestants? >> --- Did you used to name your Barbies? >> I don’t remember if they had names. What unnatural hair color looks best on you? >> I prefer silver on me. Is your life boring? >> It can be, but I like it the way it is. Do you usually feel better around people or alone? >> Alone is usually my default comfort zone. Is there a broken relationship in your life that you want to fix? >> No. Do you ever think about Heaven? >> Occasionally, because it seems like such an... unlikely kind of afterlife. Are you ready for Heaven yet? >> lmao did you just ask me if I’m ready to die Are you afraid of where you’re going to go? >> I really hope I can get that mushroom suit for my corpse. Do you have a tree outside your window? >> No. Do you feel better now than you did last night? >> Well, which part of last night? When I was at the after-party, I felt great. When I got back to the motel, I was super tired from all the drinking and socialising, so I felt a little crappy. I feel fine now. Is your sleep schedule messed up? >> Kind of, because I just spent two nights in a different time zone and away from my own bed. But it’s nothing a few nights back home won’t fix. Does your body have any problems with it? >> *shrug* Are you doing ok spiritually? >> Relatively. Have you taken any huge risks lately? >> Well, I guess coming down here was a bit of a risk financially, but it worked out. Silence or songs? >> Depends on what I’m in the mood for. Tea or coffee? >> Tea. Books or movies? >> Both. Do you ever watch your favorite movies from when you were a kid? >> Sure. ^If you were going to do that, what would you watch? >> The Prince of Egypt, definitely. The Pagemaster is a lot of fun to rewatch, too. Also, Labyrinth, of course. Do you ignore rude people or do you call them out? >> I usually ignore them. It’s less effort. Do you have trouble staying organized? >> No. What has been your most favorite adventure? >> I don’t really know. What has been your greatest mistake? >> *shrug* Are you happy with your life right now? >> Sure. Do you take anything to make your feel better? >> CBD oil kind of functions that way for me, in a not-very-dramatic way. Are your parents still together? >> They never were. What color socks do you have on? >> Grey with a Halloween design on them. Are you under a blanket right now? >> No. Are you hopeful? >> About what....?

#surveys #survey #random survey

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thatshortdudety · 5 years

Text

Types of Ravenclaws - Nicholas Black

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usDdoAXxk_c

The Stereotype

Raven Qualifications: love knowledge, kind of witty

- Whenever they are around, people run

- They are insufferable

- They're just annoying in general and constantly act like they're better than you

- At least one or two of them exist

- You may not find them very often but when you do... you know

- They're the type of person that will debate you until one of you dies, so just give up and let them think that they are right, because it's just not worth it. Just fuckin leave

- The assholes in social media comments that start their comments with 'uM aCtuALLy' and like 'sOurCeS'

- Elitism is so thick that they might as well be in Slytherin

- They love knowledge so they are actually pretty smart

- They have some wit, but no wisdom or creativity

- They get really good grades, so teachers have a love-hate relationship with them as they're a know-it-all but make the class look better

- Usually in the library studying

- Makes you feel stupid in .3 seconds

- They probably drink tea and write Shakespearean lit in their own time [like fucking nerds]

- the LEAST RAVENCLAW Ravenclaw in the tower

The Weird One

Raven Qualifications: Intelligent, wise, creative, original, individual, acceptance

- Basically Luna Lovegood

- They're weird and you know it

- Tend to be obsessive over a few particular topics, eg. if they love crocodiles and you ask them a questions about crocodiles they will whip out an encyclopaedia from their pocket [and you wonder how it fit in there in the first place then you remember you're a wizard]

- They have porcupine teeth under their bed and you don't know why. Nobody knows why, all we know is that we live in fear

- They're the person you call when you know you are being haunted. They know about that spiritual shit. They have the sage ready, they know how to relieve you of your demons [basically if you have a ghostie problem, they gotchu bitch]

- They talk very rarely, but when they do, they either sound like a wise monk or a crackhead... or both [and that, my friends, is entertaining]

- They are divination experts [fuck you, Hermione, they know your future, whatchu gonna do about it]

- They have an ongoing "experiment" since like the first day they were at Hogwarts, and everybody knows there is an experiment, but nobody knows what it is [so the Ravenclaw power lives in fear. The Gryffindor tower should also live in fear, but those fucks aren't scared of anything so like honestly fuck 'em]

- They're like Socrates, sometimes, they're basically like "I know that I know nothing," all humbly-wise like that [and you're like "huh that's why you're a ravenclaw hm ok"]

- Despite having no social skills and scaring everyone shitless all the time, these Ravenclaws are the most mindful and spiritual, most open Ravenclaws

- They accept any theory or idea because "fuck it, we know nothing and anything could be real"

- Scary but pretty cool

The Mum

Raven Qualifications: Intelligence, WIT, wisdom, creativity, originality, SHARPNESS, ACCEPTANCE

- Has a first aid kit on hand and knows how to use it. Basically a doctor. Didn't go to med school, but they know their shit.

- Has a remedy for every illness. Pretty sure they're not allowed to have a potions cabinet in their dormitory, but Flitwick allows it, and so they've just got med potions in the dormitory [even though we have... a-uei- even though we have a hospital wing]

- The best advice giver in both complicated and stupid situations. They will give you some fucking common sense, they will spell it out for you

- NUMBER ONE Ravenclaw

- eg. If you have a boyfriend who has cheated on you multiple times and you ask them for advice they will look you straight in the eye and say "BITCH you deserve better, break up with that hoe" and you should probably listen to them because most everything they say is correct

- They will not tolerate stupidity [she will not tolerate your stupidity, richard, get out of the damn tree]

- They read the entire unabridged Lord of the Rings to their children, A.K.A. first year Ravenclaws and all Hufflepuffs

- The voice of reason [please just listen to her it.. it's all i ask.. please she's right, don't... don't question it]

- Knows all the answers to your homework assignment and knows how to effectively teach it to you [but fuck off dan she will not do your homework for you.. not again]

- If you get into some stupid shit, they'll say 'I told you so' and continue to fix your shit like a GODDESS [honestly she needs more love]

- Breaks up fights and sends people to their rooms. They're not having your bullshit.

- Such a smart person! eg. amazing war strategist [she-she knows. She knows all manipulation tactics, sh-she knows how to get her shit done, she is the strategist of the century, i swear]

The Artist

Raven qualifications: Intelligence, WIT, wisdom, CREATIVITY, originality, INDIVIDUALITY, sharpness, acceptance

- They're probably on Tumblr. That's just how it is.

- They don't give two shits about grades. The school system is rIgGeD............. okAy maybe they do care a little bit, but they'd DIE before they'd admit it

- They're an ex Emo and an activist

- They like politics

- They are the second debater in the house. For the love of god, don't put them in the same room as the Stereotype. Do you wanna fucking die? [i mean i do too, carol, but not now. It is unstoppable force vs immovable object, do you want to explode? didn't think so]

- They're either a music, theatre or art nerd... or possible poetry if you're.. that bitch. [but um if you don't know the difference between a play and a musical, we're judging you- WE'RE JUDGING YOU SEVERELY it's not that difficult i know what a fucking touch-down is]

- They're probably a communist, socialist, anarchist because fUCK CAPITALISM HELL

- Music and art is subJECTIVE YOU CANNOT TEACH IT, KAREN [and that's when the Stereotype walks in and starts a debate on that]

- They're pretty depressed

- They like musicals

- They have an aesthetic Instagram but all the captions are like 'aha lmao i wanna fucking die' and 'i crave death'

- Not gonna lie they cry after a debate even though they started it

- They have high standards that they don't meet themselves

The Bookworm

Raven Qualifications: INTELLIGENCE, wit, wisdom, CREATIVITY, originality, individuality, ACCEPTANCE

- They're kind of like a stereotype too, but they're the good stereotype

- They're like, the chill

- They're only passionate about like books and shit, so if you wanna have a 24 hour conversation with them, just bring up their favourite book series and they won't let you go

- They have a very popular fanfiction account. They are a veteran stan that wrote a 300k word fanfiction that is a STAPLE in the community. They are the fandom's mum

- They have like 30 books to read but for some reason they just read Junie B. Jones again. For the 5th time.

- They're very kind, usually patient, the most empathetic [other than maybe the Mum in the house]

- They do tend to be alone most of the time

- They have an internal debate on whether or not they should focus on their grades or read the 30 books they have to read [they.. somehow... do it both. um... i hate you]

- They're usually friends with the Mum Ravenclaw, they're like the parents of the house. Without them somebody might mysteriously disappear, or like, die [the weird one hasn't come back for three weeks send help]

The Junkie

Raven Characteristics: Wit, creativity, ORIGINALITY, individuality, acceptance

- [i know what you're thinking: 'come on nick, ravenclaws are smart, they wouldn't do drugs!'..... that's where you're wrong, bitch. they would do drugs.. but only the smart drugs. only the safe drugs]

- They only do marijuana. They don't even do any other drugs, and when they DO marijuana, they eat it in a pot brownie so that they don't get cancer from smoking it [like, they're pussies basically, i'm sorrty but]

- Okay, I take it back, they might do LSD once because the Weird One told them that they'd "see god" on LSD, but they'll never do it again cos it was a bad trip and probably killed some of their braincells, so they're a little overce

- They're anti-capitalist, but they never specify what their political and economic beliefs are, so they just kinda say 'fuck capitalism' then they go to bed high as Snoop Dog

- Usually friends with the Weird One [...i'm scared all the time]

- They're high all the time, but they never get caught because they're a Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaws don't get caught [take notes, Slytherin]

- They once woke up with a surrealist painting in one hand and the communist manifesto in the other... they don't know what happened the night before, but they got rid of the evidence real fuckin quick because you can't be too safe

- They claim to be Buddhist and trying to find the real meaning of life, but like they don't practice Buddhism really well.. they-aie- I think they're just doing it for the aesthetic, they know a lot about Buddhism they just don't practice it very well

- They're trying to open their third eye. [none of us want them to. their two eyes are problematic enough, we don't need them to have a third

#ravenclaw #hogwarts #nicholas black #The Stereotype #The Weird One #The Mum #The Mom #The Artist #The Bookworm #The Junkie #howarts houses #the houses #which one are you?#youtube

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4chanbf · 4 years

Note

All asks

Thank you Lily!!

angel; do you have a nickname?

I dont even have a name lmao, but some ppl call me Olive, that makes me so happy

awe; how old are you?

Im 13

baby; favorite color?

Black and red

bloop; spirit animal?

Rat? idk?

blossom; favorite book/movie/song?

I dont even know:/ sorry

blush; what was your stuffed animal as a child?

A cow!! i still have him i made him some kandi actually

breeze; most precious childhood memory?

Ehmm, i dont even know

bright; mermaids or fairies?

FAIRIES

bubbles; do you have a best friend?

I have some pretty close friends, but idk if i have a best friend

buttercup; showers or baths?

Showers

butterfly; dream destination?

Idk really

buttons; are you religious or spiritual?

I dont really know lol

calm; favorite scent?

Green apples are pretty nice smelling?

candlelight; what did you dream about last night?

I dont remember much, however i was in this room and it had some children in it. They were like, not born or something? Society hated all of them and they were like made wrong or something bc it was a society where ppl were made like robots? anyways they were all pretty fragile and they could die easily, i dont remember any of them but this one girl, she was around 14 years old, she was tall and pale and she had long straight hair. it was like a grayish blonde color. she didnt have any eyes but where her left eye should be there was this black bead thingy? she didnt feel very good, i think she was preparing to die actually

charming; have you ever been in love?

I dont know jcjdmxm

cozy; eye/hair color?

Im a ginger:( also my eyes are like brown or something

cuddly; what’s your favorite time period?

Idk, i just like vampires

cupcake; favorite flower/plant?

I like black roses?

cute; what did you get on your last birthday?

I got a game for my switch :D

cutie pie; most precious item you own?

My bunny backpack lol

cutsie; what makes you happy?

My friends and ice coffee and music

daisies; describe a moment when you felt free.

Lmao never jjmhm

daydream; how do you want to be remembered?

As a boy

daylight; favorite album of all time?

Three cheers for sweet revenge maybe?

dear; zodiac sign?

Cancer

delightful; concerts or museums?

Ive actually never been to a concert :(

dimples; have you ever written a letter?

Think so?

dobby; dream job?

Artist i think

doll; how do you like to dress?

I dress like a lesbian

dovey; any paranormal/magical experiences?

No :’(

dreams; do you want or have any tattoos?

Ehm i think so

drizzle; do you believe in aliens?

I used to have a pretty extreme alien phase. I better say yes i dont wanna betray 9 year old me

euphoric; talk about someone you love.

Ehm i love my friends? One of my best friends i love a lot, hes always there for me when im feeling not so good. also hes very funny i love talking to him and i really hope ill get to meet him one day!

fairy; do you have a pet?

Yes i have a dog!!

fluffy; ocean or mountain?

OCEAN

forever; where do you feel time stop?

I never really feel like that :(

froglet; are you a good plant owner?

No :( my poor plants :(

garden; how many languages do you know?

I speak english and danish, but im currently learning german!

gem; who are your favorite tumblrs?

My friends?

giggles; what is your aesthetic of choice?

Im obsessed with scenecore

glittery; do you like anons? why/why not?

Yes!! theyre so much fun!

glow; list the top 5 things you like about yourself

1. I treat other ppl well mostly

yeah i hate everything else about me lmao

heart; silk or lace?

Lace, silk is making me shiver just from thinking of it

honey; coffee or tea? how do you take it?

Ice coffeeeee!! i am gay

hugsy; do you enjoy people watching or bird watching more? why?

I really like both? i dont really care

hunnybunch; what sounds help you sleep?

RAIN

jewel; what’s your favorite kind of weather?

RAIN! AND THUNDER

jiggly; what do you usually like to do on weekends?

Be in my room and cry while listening to music. sometimes i draw or play videogames too

joy; do you laugh loudly or giggle more?

My laugh is fucking ugly. also i snort when i laugh and my friends keep pointing it out

kinky; do you blush easily?

Yea i think so

kisses; what romantic cliché do you wish for most?

Idk i just want a hug

kitty; what’s your favorite time of the day?

When im in my bed on my phone and im just talking to ppl before i sleep. or when im drinking ice coffee

ladybug; what’s your favorite artist to listen to when you’re sad?

Mcr or pierce the veil or slipknot

love; what is your favorite season and why?

I hate all seasons

lovey; what is your favorite flavor of macaron and ice cream?

Dark chockolate i think (i know i cant spell njnjm)

magic; what are five flaws you have?

1. Im annoying

2. Im treating myself like shit

3. I look very ugly and like a girl

4. None of the things i used to love makes me happy anymore really

5. Im stupid and i cant focus

moonlight; do you prefer soft pastels, warm neutrals, or cool darks?

PASTELS

munchkin; what do you look for in your significant other?

They are nice and cute and loves me as much as i love them uwuwuw

paddywack; how would you describe a perfect date?

I dont really know, im tiredd

pebbles; how do you spend free time by yourself?

On my phone. listening to music. being sad

precious; what is something valuable that you learned in your life?

Idk i feel like i dont improve, i only get worse

pretty; do you like to cook or bake more?

Cooking!

prince; how would you describe your handwriting?

Ugly. also i draw an x instead of . and the dot over i

princess; do you play any instruments? if not, are there any you wish you could play?

I do own a uke! cant play tho

prinky; how do you relieve stress?

Im pretty bad at that lmao

pumpkin; what is your favourite kind of fruit/vegetable?

Kiwi? idk, i like berries tho

rainbow; what was the last line of the last book you read?

Idk, i feel like jared, 19 so fucking much

roses; what is the most significant event in your life so far?

Idk

smile; what is one thing that has greatly affected you?

That one time i accidently listened to mama by mcr, and then i was like “o shit im trans”

shine; art or music?

Yes?

shimmer; do animals tend to like you?

Hmmh, kinda

smitten; do you collect anything?

Kandi!!

smoochies; how many pillows do you sleep with?

snuggle; what is your favourite candy?

Sour candy

snuggly; do you have a camera? if so, what kind?

sparkle; do you wear jewelry?

Kandi

spooky; sunrise or sunset?

Both

sprinkles; do you like to listen to music with headphones or no headphones?

Headphones

starlight; what was your favourite show as a child?

Steven universe

soft; describe your favourite spot in your house.

My bed

soothe; digital or vinyl?

Vinyl!

squeezed; who do you miss right now?

A hug lmao

sugary; what traits do you value most in friends?

That they listen. and if we can be idiot dumbasses together thats nice too

sunshine; do you prefer for things to be practical or aesthetically pleasing?

aesthetically pleasing

sweet; do you find it easy to open up?

Ahaha no

sweetie; do you like kids? if so, do you ever want to have any?

I like funny kids. not the annyoing ones. dont think i want some tho

thimble; is there somebody you look up to? who are they?

Misters chemical romance

toot; what is something you find unique about yourself?

Idek

tootsie; what kind of friend are you?

The friend who makes a little too many jokes about wanting to die. Also the friend who never shows up bc im too busy being sad lmao

treasure; what was something that made you smile today?

Had a very nice conversation with a friend. that was very appreciated

velvet; are you an early bird or a night owl?

Both. thats not good

whiffle; if you could have a magical power, what would it be?

SHAPESHIFTING IM TRANS

whimsical; do you prefer doing stuff at home or going out?

I love being in my room, but sometimes i really dont want to be here

whiskers; do you usually wear makeup?

Nope

wiggly; are you a messy or tidy person?

Messy

wispy; do you like the place where you grew up? do you think you will live there when you get older?

I cant wait to get the fuck out of here

wobbly; have you ever wished upon a star?

Yep

Thanks for the ask :) this took a long time nndjc

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jesuschristlivedinamotelroom · 5 years

Text

angel; do you have a nickname? yea

awe; how old are you? 20

baby; favorite color? blue

bloop; spirit animal? cat

blossom; favorite book/movie/song?

blush; what was your stuffed animal as a child?

breeze; most precious childhood memory? i think my parents teaching me how to ride a bike.

bright; mermaids or fairies? fairies

bubbles; do you have a best friend? no

buttercup; showers or baths? baths!

butterfly; dream destination? idk what that means

buttons; are you religious or spiritual? no

calm; favorite scent? laundry and also honeysuckle

candlelight; what did you dream about last night? i was in charge of some event and i kept stressing over it? also my roommate kept coming into my room and i kept getting mad kxkddkkd

charming; have you ever been in love? no

cozy; eye/hair color? black black

cuddly; what’s your favorite time period? like. ever? honestly now is fine. although if i lived in like the 1800s would my brain be this smart if i felt less fear ghen like that era

cupcake; favorite flower/plant? jasmine is nice too

cute; what did you get on your last birthday? i bought myself perfume

cutie pie; most precious item you own? my guitar&desk&bed

cutsie; what makes you happy? sleep.

daisies; describe a moment when you felt free. every time i go to a concert? although when they shove cameras in my face i still have to perform.

daydream; how do you want to be remembered? bubbly, funny, but also wise? not vapid.

daylight; favorite album of all time? no idea

dear; zodiac sign? virgo

delightful; concerts or museums? concerts

dimples; have you ever written a letter? yes

dobby; dream job? i don’t know any more

doll; how do you like to dress? i kind of wear whatever i want. lately i have been dressing to match weather and to not have my nips out. although i shouldn’t care i do. also one of my group mates seems to be looking at my chest a lot when we speak so i can’t tell if it’s like That bad or if he is just weird.

dovey; any paranormal/magical experiences? no i mean. psychotic maybe

dreams; do you want or have any tattoos? yes

drizzle; do you believe in aliens? yes

euphoric; talk about someone you love. im sure i love my siblings. i want to provide for them both financially and emotionally but i can only stay detatched. they are the only people who have dealt with all of my years until now and one has told me she didn’t really know who i was when i was in middle school, which is kind of an interesting point of view. i am usually a bit more open to my siblings than i am my parents even though they were usually who just got the butt of my anger and angst lol. huh. interesting. basically i want to die quietly but it is impossible with family and i don’t want them to be affected as heavily as it would but honestly it’s just inevitable

fairy; do you have a pet? no

fluffy; ocean or mountain? mountain

forever; where do you feel time stop? my room

froglet; are you a good plant owner? no...

garden; how many languages do you know? 4?

gem; who are your favorite tumblrs?

giggles; what is your aesthetic of choice? ?

glittery; do you like anons? why/why not? sure

glow; list the top 5 things you like about yourself. i think a lot. i am considerate. i am able to be alone. i am funny. i am amiable.

heart; silk or lace? lace

honey; coffee or tea? how do you take it? both and it depends

hugsy; do you enjoy people watching or bird watching more? why? bird watching. people watching makes me uncomfortable

hunnybunch; what sounds help you sleep? anything really, mostly people speaking in a low voice

jewel; what’s your favorite kind of weather? sunny breezy

jiggly; what do you usually like to do on weekends? sleep and drink

joy; do you laugh loudly or giggle more? i cackle

kinky; do you blush easily? i think so

kisses; what romantic cliché do you wish for most? fwb to lovers

kitty; what’s your favorite time of the day? morning

ladybug; what’s your favorite artist to listen to when you’re sad? the 1975 yeah i know

love; what is your favorite season and why? summer bc its not real

lovey; what is your favorite flavor of macaron and ice cream? ummmm idk

magic; what are five flaws you have? i let my flaws affect my relationships. i let my flaws affect my work .. everything. i think too much. i give up too easily. i don’t know how to express myself.

moonlight; do you prefer soft pastels, warm neutrals, or cool darks? cool dark

munchkin; what do you look for in your significant other? funny and cute

paddywack; how would you describe a perfect date? idk

pebbles; how do you spend free time by yourself? lay around.

precious; what is something valuable that you learned in your life? your appearance, being beautiful, being skinny does not matter. it is impossible to achieve that arbitrary standard and it does not matter.

pretty; do you like to cook or bake more? bake

prince; how would you describe your handwriting? a mix of print and cursive

princess; do you play any instruments? if not, are there any you wish you could play? guitar

prinky; how do you relieve stress? jack off. drink.. sleep

pumpkin; what is your favourite kind of fruit/vegetable? ones that smell nice

rainbow; what was the last line of the last book you read?

roses; what is the most significant event in your life so far? probably entering college or my summers spent abroad

smile; what is one thing that has greatly affected you? rape, feminism, nihilism

shine; art or music? music

shimmer; do animals tend to like you? i think so?

smitten; do you collect anything? bracelets and socks

smoochies; how many pillows do you sleep with? right now 2

snuggle; what is your favourite candy? i don’t like candy

snuggly; do you have a camera? if so, what kind? no

sparkle; do you wear jewelry? no

spooky; sunrise or sunset? sunset

sprinkles; do you like to listen to music with headphones or no headphones? both

starlight; what was your favourite show as a child? idk

soft; describe your favourite spot in your house. my bed

soothe; digital or vinyl? digital

squeezed; who do you miss right now? my friends from last semester

sugary; what traits do you value most in friends? if i am only looking for people to hang out with and i do not care about them much as people, then they need to be able to have a (fun) conversation with me and want to hang out and do whatever i/we want. if it is a real friend then similar political alignment is sadly pretty important to me. we need to be similar in general probably, you need to understand my background.

sunshine; do you prefer for things to be practical or aesthetically pleasing? practical

sweet; do you find it easy to open up? no

sweetie; do you like kids? if so, do you ever want to have any? sure but no

thimble; is there somebody you look up to? who are they? no

toot; what is something you find unique about yourself? my chart . just kidding i think i have a philosophy that will cause a... bad revolution but i am also probably a narcissist

tootsie; what kind of friend are you? go with the flow kinda person, if you want to talk about something serious i can try. i usually match the vibe of the other person

treasure; what was something that made you smile today? videos

velvet; are you an early bird or a night owl? night owl

whiffle; if you could have a magical power, what would it be? i would be able to get any resource necessary Or i would be able to slow down time

whimsical; do you prefer doing stuff at home or going out? both

whiskers; do you usually wear makeup? halfhalf

wiggly; are you a messy or tidy person? mssy

wispy; do you like the place where you grew up? do you think you will live there when you get older?no

wobbly; have you ever wished upon a star? probably

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blackcat-in-the-rain · 5 years

Text

Writing your Craft

going through the list created by @baduhennasraven

1. What draws me to witchcraft?

I’ve honestly always been drawn to it, even before I knew the word for it. It just always made sense to me from a very young age.

2. How do I see the divine?

I believe that there are many spirits, energies, Gods, and Goddesses in the world. People have connections to them, and often it’s to one particular or more that are their patron Deities.

3. What in witchcraft makes me happy?

When I’m able to help others by giving them a spell or by knowing.

4. Do I want to follow a path that has to do with a little nature, or a lot of nature?

I follow a path that has a good deal to do with nature.

5. What areas of witchcraft would I like to learn more about?

I’m not very good at knowing plants and their properties

6. Where do my witchy talents lie?

My talents lie more in things I don’t have any control over like reading minds and just knowing things. But i’m also good with spirit sensing and divination

7. What kind of deities, if any, do I want to honor?

My patron Goddess is the Morrighan

8. How do I believe magic works?

Through will and energies, everything is connected by threads and with the right energies you can manipulate them or read them.

9. Simple or elaborate spells/rituals? Why?

Depends on the reason. Though sometimes the more simple spells can cost the most energy (says the Witch who fell asleep during her last ritual because she asked for a vision). Really, whatever it takes to get your energies up and flowing and working for you.

10. What are my views on cursing/hexing?

Do it.

11. Do I want to practice something similar to my ancestors?

I don’t know what they practiced... but I do want to talk to my Grandma before her memory goes anymore. She often used to talk about how she and I were sensitive, but I was never given the opportunity to look into what she means by that.

12. What are the basic morals and ethics I feel I should live by?

The world is harsh enough, I can be a gentle force within. However I also believe in “don’t fuck with the Witch” mentality.

13. What in nature am I drawn to; the ocean, animals, the trees, etc?

Rain, the moon, stones, animals, rivers, shadows, and fire.

14. Which (witchy) holidays, if any, would I like to celebrate and how?

I want to celebrate more of them

15. How do I believe divination works?

It’s like a spider web, I am currently reading your current path (tarot cards). If we want to discuss changes I need to pull out my oracle cards though as those are the only ones that I can get to talk about different possibilities.

16. Would I like to work with a group some of the time, all of the time or not at all?

I suppose this leads me to my insecurities. I enjoy working with groups even though they make me second guess myself on some things. So most of the time I like working by myself in the dead of the night like I used to growing up.

17. Which aspects of witchcraft appeal to me most, which the least?

The most: controlling myself and the weird things I have done. The least? Memorizing certain plants and their properties and which ones combined together is a no go.

18. What do I believe happens to us when we die?

I think that depends on which Deities you’re attached to. If you’re attached to someone like the Abrahamic God then you have the heaven hell debate. However I believe I’ll be going through reincarnation.

19. How do I see mythological creatures?

Some of them are cryptids that we just haven’t found yet. Some of them are energies and spirits.

20. When do I feel most magical?

When I’m walking barefoot in the rain feeling everything around me as the rain soaks into my clothes and weighs it down.

There’s one memory that I have where I was dancing in the rain in the trailer park when I was 11. I had skipped into my prettiest dress and went twirling in it, and just singing into the wind and feeling the electric pressure of the storm. Only to suddenly stop. Make eye contact with a black cat and was watching me. Upon seeing me looking at it, the cat got up and slowly crossed the road with me watching and then disappeared into the shadows going into the backyard of our trailer home. That is a moment in my mind filled with magick.

21. How much is witchcraft woven into my daily life; is this too much, too little or just enough?

I think it’s too little. I don’t really have a daily devotion as I’d like. I have an emergency witch kit in my car, but it is in need of updating and replenishing.

22. What kind of witch do I feel I am?

I don’t know... probably closer to a HedgeWitch. A little urban, a little thrift, a little nature based. I’m trying to go through traditional training and they want me to focus on Divination.

23. Which texts/quotes best describe my current path?

I honestly can’t think of any.

24. Do I like research and gathering info, or do I like things handed to me?

I mean... who doesn’t like things being handed to them? But I think I like something in the middle, I like researching and drawing my own conclusions, but often I have trouble finding resources to go through. I have a strange problem where I’ll try and try to search for something and then someone else searches it with me right there. Same words. And NOW the item in question pulls up for them. I think it has to do with my initials being EMP by birth and I have had many instances where I lived up to it.

25. Which things about witchcraft worry or scare me?

Not being ready in the case of emergency. I’ve been a Witch for 25 years and I feel woefully unprepared should there be demon activity.

26. What is my favourite element?

Water is probably my favorite element, despite my fear of big bodies of water and the times I’ve almost drowned.

27. How do I see gender (roles) in witchcraft?

Meh. What gender roles. I see them more in the lines of defense and offense. Archetypes! The Healer, the Fighter, the Seer, the Thief, etc.

28. Am I interested more in magic, or spirituality?

To me they’re more or less the same thing. I need to know more about the Morrighan for my spirituality, but I have many gaps in my knowledge of magick as well.

29. Do I like to be told how to do things, or would I rather figure it out on my own?

For science! Magickal science. Figure things out and let things blow up in my face so I get a feel for what should be handled how.

30. What rules, if any, do I live by when it comes to witchcraft and magic?

Don’t ask if you’re not ready for the consequences.

31. What do I gain from witchcraft and magic?

Feeling more in touch with myself.

32. Formal or informal rituals/spells? Why?

Depends on the occasion. I go very formal for Coven rituals/spells because then it’s uniform between all of us. I go informal for stuff by myself because it’s how I feel my relationship with the spirits are.

33. What subject do I love to study?

Silly as it is, I love creatures. Cryptids, spirits, mythological creatures. All the legends and the stories.

34. What is my favourite type of magic; candle, sympathetic, sigils, etc?

Color magic is my favorite fall back. That way I can see how I’m feeling and work some magic into the cloth of what I’m wearing that day. Not feeling good? Pulling out the grey for some invisibility magick.

35. What would my perfect witchy day be like?

Waking up to it raining, eating breakfast and drinking a warm drink while watching it fall with my kitties curled up next to me. Going to run some errands and help a few strangers along the way. Go for a walk late at night and feel the lingering thrum of the storm and smell the richness that is left behind, kind of exposing the wounds of my environment so I can experience it’s health for myself. Then curl up with the kitties eating something tasty while watching some Witchy media.

36. Would I want to be dedicated/initiated?

Have been. Honestly it’s not all that, but I do like my Coven members.

37. Who do I honor (ex: deities, ancestors, myself, etc), and how do I, or would I like to, honor them?

I really want to get some kind of daily devotion going for the Morrighan. But I also should get a self care ritual going so I can start the healing process and mending my spirit and physical self.

38. How do I create a sacred/witchy space?

I sing. I harmonize with the energies and I bless the space.

39. What do I believe is needed for a succesful spell/ritual?

Intent. Enough tools that you feel confident with. Doubt is the best way to hinder yourself and curse your work.

40. Which cultures do I draw from in my witchcraft?

I don’t know. I just work the neopagan wiccan stuff I’ve read with what I was doing before I could read.

41. What is my learning style; books, websites, videos, more hands-on?

Hands on, video, books, but honestly if you could give me it in story form it will never be forgotten. Maybe that’s one of the reasons I wish there was more Witchy memoirs out there.

42. What, if anything, in my mundane life influences my witchcraft?

Everything probably. The pain and wear and tear on my body makes it hard to do everything I want to do.

43. What are my hobbys, how do I (or can I) incorporate them in my witchcraft?

I like to write, I like to craft things, learn new crafts. I’ve already incorporated them a bit, though I would like to do more Witch writing.

44. Where do my non-witchy talents lie, how do I (or can I) incorporate them in my witchcraft?

I am good at writing, so I can use that to create more Witch media that I want? I cannot incorporate my perler beading due to the plastic and how easily they melt. I’ve already incorporated my singing, even though I don’t particularly think of it as a talent.

45. What would my dream witchy life look like? What steps can I take to work towards it?

I first need to konmari my place to help the flow of energies. Learn more about different aspects that I’m lacking. Get my anxiety under control and handle my emotional healing that needs to take place so I can better help others. Address my caffeine and sugar addiction so that tea is enough and I don’t need all these creams and sugars in my coffee.

I would love to one day be the lady that people came to more when they need help.

46. What would my dream sacred space/witchy home look like? What steps can I take to work towards it?

I guess that’s not too far from the one above. I just want the energy to flow better, more comfy pillows and plants.

47. What symbols correspond with me; runes, animals, flowers, gemstones, etc?

Not sure if i feel comfortable sharing all that lol

48. Am I an open and proud witch, or do I (need to) hide my craft?

I’m usually a very proud and open Witch, though I have to hide it at work since I’m now at a very religious school that probably wouldn’t take too kindly to this. I spent most of my life having to hide it so I’m not terribly keen on having to do it all again.

49. What are my favourite witchy items/tools; divination tool, ritual tool, décor, clothing, etc?

I actually need to replace my very witchy hoody lol. It had sigils on the inside and was huge and comfy and would help make me feel comfortable enough to focus on my craft.

50. What is holding me back in my craft?

Insecurities really. Worried about people judging me, when I know that shouldn’t matter to me. I was in an online coven once and it turned into a cult and really did a number on my self esteem.

51. What is my pre-spell/ritual routine?

A walk or a drive to get my energies flowing and amped up.

52. What are my ultimate witchy goals and how can I work towards them?

I want to be someone others can come to. So I need to make a list of things that I’m not knowledgeable on and start working towards them. Of which I already have an extensive list created for what I consider would be my ultimate grimoire so I could just work on filling that out as it would also help fill in my gaps of knowledge.

Also to be more helpful to others I first need to heal and work on myself. So a ritual set up to address my self esteem and physical ailments would be ideal.

I also need to get used to offering what I know instead of waiting for those rare moments someone is drawn to me and asks for help not knowing if I can help them or not.

#writeyourwitchcraft #witchcraft

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anniethecat · 6 years

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Tips for surviving the winter with depression

I know seasonal affective disorder tends to get a lot of us down and it’s especially worse if you are already dealing with mental health issues. I am not a doctor or therapist in ANY WAY so please don’t mistake this as medical advice!! This is just some stuff that I do as a Canadian girl who is susceptible to depression in the winter months. It takes some preparation but you need to take some of these steps beforehand so you can stave off the bad feelings. As always regular sleep, exercise, and healthy eating help as well. Not everyone can do all of these things but pick the ones that work for you or reblog with more suggestions for others!!

1. Get a good coat, boots, gloves, and toque. This is something my therapist insisted on. When it’s cold and icy outside I never want to leave my apartment but then I remind myself that I can get bundled up and go outside and be fine.

2. Try to get outside and get some winter sunlight. Go on walks to see how the earth is changing around you. Look for icicles and pretty snowflakes and branches incased in ice. In December go on walks to see the christmas lights on all the houses. Try to make it a routine with a loved one.

3. Romanticize the hell out of winter. You’ll probably be spending a lot of time inside. Try to look at everything in a positive light. Think of comfy sweaters and fireplaces and hot cocoa. Stare at snow falling outside your window and try to find peace and contentment. Use the winter the way plants do - to rest and recover for spring.

4. Pick a holiday and celebrate with abundance. Go all out and just find joy in it. Make decorations, go to parties, visit your favourite people. If you are not religious I recommend celebrating the winter solstice as it is open to anyone and you can make up whatever traditions you want! If you are religious then this is a good time to get in touch with your spiritual practice.

5. Food. Winter is the time for the coziest and most comforting foods. Think of your favourite dishes and prepare them with love. This can be something that you look forward to. Maybe that’s mashed potatoes with gravy, thick stews, shepherds pie or whatever you grew up eating. Don’t forget about desserts and pastries! Winter is perfect for baking. Also hot drinks! Mulled wine, warm apple cider, hot toddy’s, specialty teas. Plan out food and drinks and look forward to sharing them with loved ones!! Maybe it’s a winter tradition to go to a favourite restaurant- Swiss Chalet’s festive special anyone?

6. lighting. I read the little book of hygge and it seems like the Danes all have an obsession with light to keep them staying happy. Now is the time for lighting those fancy-smelling candles all over your house. If you have a fireplace light it often. If you don’t put the fireplace channel on tv it makes things so much cozier. Experiment with soft lighting and lamps rather than overheard lighting. Buy twinkle lights and christmas lights. I’m not sure why this affects your mood but it does!!

7. Cuddling. Winter is the ultimate time for cuddling! Cuddle a partner, a family member, a friend, a pet! Stay warm and feel that sweet, sweet body connection. Watch movies and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows you’re gonna be fine!

8. Plan winter activities. This is maybe the most important one! This will get you active and if you make the plans in advanced with other people you have things to look forward to and reasons to go out and enjoy yourself. Go ice skating, plan a skii trip, go tobogganing, make a snowman, have a snowball fight, go snowshoeing, join a hockey team, play some shinny. Do all this while you can! You can only do it once a year anyway.

9. Hobbies. Now is a great time to start doing some of those hobbies. When dealing with depression it is super helpful to have a project that you are working on just for fun. I love knitting and winter is perfect for that. You can write or read or bake or scrapbook or draw - whatever keeps you entertained & busy. Do some of these with other people too.

10. Clothing - your winter wardrobe can still be super cute. There are so many more different things to combine. Start shopping early, hit up thrift shops in the fall. You can look forward to getting dressed everyday if you love your sweaters & hats & cozy socks.

11. Relax. Winter is for recovery. Treat yourself to warm baths and some nice body lotion or whatever makes you feel good. Play board games, do puzzles, read books, journal, watch movies.

12. Spend lots of time with others. Try not to isolate yourself even if it’s gross outside. Invite people to do activities with you or invite people over to cook meals with you, go on walks with you, chill with you.

If all of this sounds like waaaaay too much energy remember to reach out to others. If you have the means seek out professional help. Love you all and lets make this a good winter.

#depression #winter #depression resource #seasonal affective disorder #SAD #canada #hygge #this tips are soooo canadian lmao

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enixamyram · 5 years

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Curious Archer Christmas Chapter 3

“Alice! Lucy's here.” Robin said, leading the younger girl into the kitchen where Alice was just finishing the last of the mornings washing up.

“Oh! Perfect!” Alice quickly grabbed the nearest tea towel and dried her hands.

“You're house looks amazing!” Lucy gasped, looking up over the decorations lining up against the wall leading through the hallway and into the kitchen. “We haven't even started unpacking ours yet.”

“Yeah, Alice got a little ahead of everyone else.” Robin smirked, walking over and grabbing Alice's coat off the back of one of the table chairs on her way. She handed it to her, kissing Alice's cheek softly.

Alice paused short of grabbing her bag from the counter, glancing back at her wife. “You sure you're okay with us going ahead without you?”

“Of course. You've already gone this far.” Robin grinned, waving at the room where little bells were hung over the kitchen windows. “Might as well finish it off. And I trust you to do as good a job with the tree as you have with the rest of the house while I kick back and relax.” Alice still looked hesitant. Robin reached over, rubbing her arms and smiling. “I mean it. Plus, I haven't had a chance to have a proper evening with Leah in a while so this will be a nice chance to catch up for us.”

“If you're sure.” Alice repeated, then leaned over and kissed her softly. “Won't be too long.”

“Have fun!” Robin called. She followed them through the hallway and stood in the open door to watch the pair heading out.

“You didn't want to have a drink or anything before we went, did you?” Alice asked, just after Robin shut the door behind them.

“No, that’s okay. I'm good.” Lucy grinned, bouncing a little on the spot. “So let's go!”

Alice giggled, watching Lucy skip slightly ahead of her, in between the animal ornaments and down onto the open streets. It really was lucky to have Henry call the other day. Alice didn't know where to begin looking for a real Christmas tree and while she was able to turn two of their garden bushes into colour changing trees for the front decorations, they were both quite small and couldn't really be called actual trees. Robin probably would have figured something out for them, but Alice would be lying if said she wasn't enjoying being in charge of everything this year.

“Alice?”

“Coming.” Alice said, quickly snapping out of her thoughts and following her out through the front gates. “Sorry about that.”

“It's cool.” Lucy nodded. “So, are you ready to get your perfect tree?”

“Yup!” Alice grinned, looking down at the smaller girl – wouldn't be long before Lucy would be almost eye level with the way she was growing the past year. “You guys already have yours?”

“Yeah, dad grabbed one yesterday just before he called you.” Lucy shrugged. “He's really into it.”

“Aren't you?” Alice blinked.

“Oh yeah, sure. But just not as much as dad.” Lucy said with an amused eye roll.

Alice did a small double take, staring down at Lucy curiously for a moment as they made their way towards the edge of town. “You guys must have had the chance to celebrate Christmas a bit back in the Enchanted Forest, though, right? What with Henry being from here originally.”

“Well, sort of. We kind of celebrated a little but nothing like this.” She waved towards some of the houses who had seemingly copied Alice and gotten their outside decorations set up early.

“How did you celebrate then?”

“We had a big fancy dinner with Tiana and everyone all gave one other person a homemade present.” Lucy explained. “The year before the curse, I gave Tiana a flower crown.”

“That sounds nice.” Alice smiled sadly. “I wish I could have visited you guys more.”

“Why didn't you?” Lucy asked.

Alice paused, thinking the question over carefully before answering. “Papa didn't have very many friends left after I was born. He gave up his ship and his crew along with it and spent his whole life looking after me back in my tower. If I went to the castle then papa wouldn't be able to, because of the curse on his heart, so it didn't really seem fair, especially since he was much closer to everyone there than I was. And I still had Rumplestiltskin and Robin to keep me company anyway, but he didn’t have anyone else.”

“I'm sorry you had to be separated for so long.” Lucy said quietly, then added brightly; “It must be nice being together again!”

“It is.” Alice beamed, immediately her earlier sadness fading away.

They kept walking passed the last few houses set up in this area while Alice began to happily describe the things she planned to do with her papa on their first Christmas together here in Storybrooke – after she had spent some quality Christmas time with Robin first, of course. And Lucy responded by describing what her Christmas was going to be like. It was going to be a lot busier than Alice's. The morning was going to be with her parents, and lunch was going to spent going with Emma's family to the Nolan farm, and finally, then a calm dinner spent with Regina before retiring home again.

“Won't you be tired?” Alice blinked, thinking to what Robin said about her favourite Christmas being a nice easy-going and relaxing one where you didn’t really have to do much all day.

“Probably!” Lucy grinned. “I can't wait!”

Before Alice could say anything else, they had reached a large fenced off area with a dozen brightly coloured Christmas trees wrapped around the fences gaps, flashing brightly and attracting any attention the large sign overheard missed. Inside the gated area was over a dozen trees, all bright green and waiting crowded into the small space just a little way away from the rest of the town’s houses. Otherwise there wasn’t much else to it, but Alice could feel a genuine joy coming from the simplicity of it that made her instantly smile as they approached the front entrance.

There were a couple people that could be seen wandering in between the trees, examining the barks and leafs with fine details and talking deeply about each of them like it was a life of death decision they could only make once. And they barely paused to talk to anyone that hadn’t arrived with them, though they certainly weren’t unfriendly about it. There were a couple large families grouped together, but more than that, there were a lot of fathers out only with their kids. Most of the kids were young, and they were running around without control while their dads struggled to keep an eye on them while they also searched for their own perfect tree.

“Have you ever gotten a Christmas tree before?” Alice asked as they stepped through the gates and into the first set of trees.

“No.” Lucy said, looking around slowly. “Mum never saw the point of cutting a tree down just for a day.”

“And now she does?”

“Dad wore her down.” Lucy grinned.

“Can I help you young ladies?”

They had just started down the first line when they heard the voice, drawing them to a stop. The girls turned around to find an older man stepping from in between the nearby trees, making his way forward and light brushing himself down. It wasn't someone either of them recognised. But he had a bright and friendly face and Alice wondered if he hadn't intentionally grown a grey shaded beard in order to go with the overall theme of the season. He was tightly wrapped in winter clothes and was quite large, making Alice wonder how he had squeezed in between the trees so easily without them noticing.

“We're fine.” Alice said, repeating what Robin always said whenever they went shopping and were offered assistance. “Just looking.”

“No problem, just come find me when you're ready to buy something or if you need any help at all.” The man said, nodding his head and turning to a pair of newcomers who looked completely lost the second they stepped through the gates.

“So,” Lucy said. “Dad always said the most important parts of finding a tree, are looking at the shape, size and colour.”

“They all look the same to me...” Alice mumbled, glancing around and pulling a face.

“Yeah, me too...” Lucy admitted before shrugging. “Guess that means they're all good?”

Alice wandered towards the trees nearer the back and paused in front of them, reaching and feeling the rough leaf stretching towards her, taking it between her fingers gently. They were all very nice, brightly green and tall and healthy, just like she imagined... And yet something just wasn't right about any of them. It was like they looked the part, smelled the part and physically felt the part... But there was a second feeling that was getting in the way and telling Alice that they still weren’t what she was looking for. A spiritual feeling. Like Alice could see the trees aura and sense that it wasn't the right tree after all.

“Found one?” Lucy asked, stepping up beside her.

Alice sighed. “No. None of these.”

Lucy paused, looking up at the trees and frowning. “What's wrong with them?”

“They're just not right.” Alice explained, waving her hand helplessly before moving along the line and tracing her hand gently over their branches as she went.

Lucy trailed along behind her, watching as Alice took her time examine all the trees she passed with a gentle touch. They continued to all look the same to her, so she couldn't understand what it was Alice was looking for. When her dad had picked up their tree, he'd barely looked past the front view he had of it before paying the seller and dragging it onto the back of Granddad David's truck to get home as soon as possible. So Alice taking her time was not only weird... It was also kind of boring.

“Any luck?” Lucy pressed as they turned a corner and started down a new line of trees, once again all looking exactly the same as their neighbours.

“Not yet.”

Lucy huffed and slouched slight, stalking after her. She'd been the one to volunteer herself to help Alice find her perfect tree but she hadn't expected it to take so long when she did. What was Alice even looking for?

“How about this one?” Lucy asked, stepping up to one of the largest trees near the front.

“No... Not that one.” Alice mumbled, walking passed her.

“One of these?” Lucy said, dancing around her and waving at three perfect clone-like trees standing side by side each other.

“No...”

Lucy let out a long breath from between her teeth, letting Alice drift passed before rolling her eyes. This was getting really dumb. What exactly was it Alice would hoping would happen? One of the trees would step out and start dancing in front of her, begging to be picked?

“Alice. Maybe you should just, magic your own tree? Like the ones in your garden.” Lucy suggested, trailing after her.

“It wouldn't be right.” Alice explained. “Those are just little decorations I made out of a couple of bushes. I need a real proper Christmas tree for our first year together.”

Lucy rolled her eyes again, this time being caught by Alice and flushing guiltily in response. Luckily Alice noticed, but didn't mind. It wasn't the first time someone had given her that kind of look or thought her odd for the way she did things. That didn't change anything for her. They were here for her and she was going to take as much time as she needed in order to find her perfect tree. She had her reasons for dragging it out. It was around here somewhere, she could practically sense it, but it was being confused with all the similar trees around it and Alice just needed to take some time to track it down.

“Alice... Do you think maybe we should try somewhere else?” Lucy asked after they had wandered around in a complete circle. “Maybe you should check the woods and see if there are any that haven't been uprooted or cut down yet that you like?”

“Maybe...” Alice sighed, finally coming to a stop. She still had a strong sense pulling at her, but she couldn't seem to find where it was coming from. She was beginning to think that maybe it was actually just her imagination was getting the best of her. Alice had let herself get a little carried away in her excitement so it wasn’t quite so farfetched to say it was all in her head.

“Want to go round once more?” Lucy sighed.

Alice nodded, eagerly walking ahead and once again reaching out a hand to stroke over the remaining trees. If anyone ever got in her way, she calmly stepped to the side and waiting for them to pass before moving back to her place and resuming her quick pace around the gated area. Lucy followed behind, feeling more and more like this quick favour was turning into an irritating chore. She was seconds away from pulling out her phone and calling her mother for an excuse to leave, when suddenly Alice came to a stop in the furthest corner from the entrance, staring at a pair of trees pressed closely together side by side.

“Found something?” Lucy asked, moving up beside her.

“I think so...” Alice mumbled, reaching and touching the trees but even they didn't feel right. Yet there was something here...

“Alice?”

Alice ignored her, pushing one of the tree branches aside when she thought she had caught sight of something hidden in the back behind them. When she realized there was definitely something there, Alice didn't hesitate, grabbing the two trees and moving them out the way to reveal the one behind them.

It was skinnier than all the other trees and a lot of its leafy branches had touches of brown along the tips that grow more obvious and visible the closer you came to the top. There were also a dozen patches along the bottom of the tree that were bare and broken like someone had stolen stretches of it and snapped off the rest. It was a little sad looking and Alice was momentarily distracted by its appearance before she felt the very thing she had been searching for, that sense she had been following… It had led her to this tree.

“Ugh,” Lucy said, pulling a face and wrinkled her nose like she could smell something foul. “That one looks half dead.”

“Looks are misleading.” Alice said softly, crossing her arms and smiling at it. “This is our tree.”

“Wait, seriously?” Lucy blinked. “But... It's ugly.”

“No, it's perfect.” Alice said, turning and waving down the man from earlier, waiting for him to approach before happily waving back to the tree. “I'd like this one, please.”

The man did a quick double take, opening his mouth like he was going to question her, then thought better about talking client out of a sale, especially over one he would never be able to sell otherwise. Instead he forced a smile and politely asked for half the price of the other trees, accepting Alice's money and asking if she needed help getting it home.

“No, thank you. We can manage.” Alice beamed, watching the guy wander off, shaking his head as soon as his back was turned to her.

“So...” Lucy raised an eyebrow. “How are we getting this all the way back to yours? Should I call my dad?” She couldn’t help but worry it would collapse into dust before they were even halfway but chose to keep that thought to herself for now.

“I got it.” Alice said, taking a breath and flicking her hands out in front of her. She shut her eyes just as the smoke gathered around the three of them. Once it had cleared a moment later, they found themselves back in Alice's home, standing in the middle of the living room with the tree already settled in its chosen corner.

Lucy glanced around in surprise before looking up at Alice and smiling. “I love magic.” She grinned.

C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S

When Robin came home, early that evening, Lucy had already headed off back home. She had stayed a few extra hours to accept some biscuits and sweets Alice offered in payment for her help, but had declined Alice's other offer to help decorate the tree. Lucy loved putting the decorations on the tree, but she was still secretly afraid that if she so much as lightly touched the tree then the brittle bark would fall apart at her feet and the last thing she wanted was to have that on her conscious and feel at blame for ruining Alice and Robin’s Christmas. She still didn't quite understand what Alice saw in it, or why she thought the fading old tree was something special when it really looked more like compost than a real Christmas tree. But Alice seemed to really believe in it, so Lucy kept her mouth shut, ate her reward, gave her a hug goodbye and head off for home, looking forward to telling her mum about what happened. Maybe she or her dad could explain Alice's weird decision.

So when Robin stepped inside the house, she paused to dust her feet off on the mat and shivered against the cold breeze chasing after her. She eagerly slipped into the living room to escape it and searched for the warm fire to heat her goose pimpled skin. She barely noticed the last of the boxes had finally been cleared out and didn't even glance in the corner as she dropped down by the fire, holding her hands up and breathing a sigh of relief. She loved this time of year, but she hated the cold weather so damn much. But then, she also hated the hot weather.

Summer was too hot and winter was too damn cold. Yeah, Robin was definitely more of an autumn person.

“You're back!” Alice said, stepping into the room and grinning. “Have you seen the tree?”

“Oh, right,” Robin stood, rubbing her hands together and turning with a big smile. Only for it to drop again as soon as she could sight of it.

Unlike everything else in and outside of the house, Alice seemed to have decided to do a minimal job on the tree. It had a very thin line of tinsel and only golden bobbles hanging from a select number of the tree’s strongest branches, with a bright white and silver angel balanced at the very top, along with fake snow and tinsel flakes lying around its base. It was all nicely done but the lack of decorations made the tree itself stand out more, which would have been well enough if not for the fact that the tree wasn't the fluffy and bright green that Robin had been expecting Alice to get. Instead it was a rusty brown in some places and broken and bare in others. And even though Alice had clearly done her best to cover those parts with the choice decorations she had used, it was impossible to hide them all.

“What do you think?” Alice asked, moving to stand behind Robin, sliding her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

“Nice.” Robin said quickly, glancing slowly up and down at it. “Were there... Not many left?”

Alice shrugged against her. “No, not really. There were plenty of others but this one kind of called to me. Like I could sense something in it.”

Robin struggled to find the right words. “Um... Sensed something? Like what exactly?”

“I don't really know.” Alice said, letting go to stand beside her and still smiling proudly. “I think it might be something to do with my magic. But I can just tell there's something about this tree. The others were all fine and they'd get good homes, sure. But this one has something that made it stand out. Something that deserved to be taken in.”

“Oh. Cool.” Robin nodded.

“You don't get it, do you?” Alice asked.

“Not really.” Robin admitted. “I mean... Could you use your magic to make the tree healthier, maybe?” Alice hesitated, opening her mouth nervously. “You don't want to?”

“It's just. It's not unhealthy, Robin. It's just older than the other trees.” Alice explained. “I don't see why it needs to be changed. The brown shows its years and the missing parts are like its scars. They show it's been through a lot but it's still standing, tall and beautiful as ever.” Her voice took on a prideful burst and she beamed up at it again.

But it's so ugly! Robin internally screamed, then shook her head. What did that even mean? Who cares if it wasn't the prettiest tree? Alice was right, it was experienced and there was nothing wrong with that. And could Robin really complain about the tree she got when Alice had put so much thought and effort, not just into them, but the whole house? No one in town had worked harder than her, and she hadn't asked for anything in return. There was no way Robin could demand she get rid of the tree after all that. “I like it.” Robin lied, smiling and sliding an arm around Alice. “You picked a great tree, love.”

Liar. Alice thought, but smiled back and kissed the side of Robin’s mouth. It was okay. Whether or not Robin could understand her, Alice stood by her decision, still very sure from the good feeling she got from it.

#Once Upon A Time #Curious Archer #Alice Jones #Robin Mills #Lucy Mills #Mad Archer #Curious Archer Christmas #OUAT Fanfiction

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